European Union
Overall Score
Details
B
Partially Done
Accomplishments:
- Sanctioned more Russian oligarchs and kleptocrats than any other jurisdiction.
- Took swift measures against Russian disinformation.
- Provided satellite intelligence to Ukriane.
Drawbacks:
- Has paid 36 billion euros to Russia for oil, gas and coal since the start of the war.
- Has yet to develop a roadmap to effectively replace Russian gas and oil.
Condemnation
Military Support
Providing military support for Ukraine, composed of four key categories:
- Ground Forces Support (e.g. small arms, defensive equipment, anti-tank)
- Air Defense Support
- Communications Support
- Cyber Intelligence Support
- Provided €1.5 billion worth of lethal weapons, €50 million worth of non-lethal aid, €500 million in humanitarian aid. Besides, EU provided satellite intelligence, notably through the European Union Satellite Centre.
- Urges member states to provide heavy weaponry to Ukraine.
Financial & Institutional Sanctions
Identifying sanctions impacting the Russian economy as a whole, including banks, sovereign debt, industry, access to global markets, etc.
-
Froze assets under the jurisdiction associated with Russia’s central bank.
-
Prohibited investing, participating, or otherwise contributing to future projects co-financed by the Russian Direct Investment Fund.
-
Prohibited selling, supplying, transfering, or exporting euro-denominated banknotes to Russia.
-
Cut off 14 Russian banks from the SWIFT bank messaging system.
-
Banned Russian companies from EU public procurement projects.
-
EU still can restrict crypto assets from being used to get around financial sanctions imposed on the banks.
Sanctions on Oligarchs, Kleptocrats, & Western Enablers
Sanctions on individuals in Putin's inner circle including:
- exposing & seizing their assets
- revoking their visas
- holding them legally accountable where possible
The goal is to convince these individuals that their futures would be better without Putin than with him.
- Since 2014, 864 Russian individuals were put on the sanction lists that provide for freezing their assets and property in the EU. 600 of them were included in the lists starting from February 22, 2022.
- That includes 14 oligarchs and prominent businesspeople involved in key economic sectors, providing a substantial source of revenue to the Russian Federation, as well as their family members.
- Based on reports from more than half of the Member States: €29.5 billion worth of assets have been frozen. €196 billion of transactions have been blocked.
Diplomatic Isolation
Measures taken to isolate Russia diplomatically (e.g. recall of ambassadors & diplomats, stripping Russia of its G20 membership, etc)
- EU expelled 19 Russian diplomats following the Bucha massacre.
- Russia still enjoys full diplomatic representation in the EU.
Propaganda
Combatting Putin's global propaganda network. While respecting freedom of speech, Putin should not be allowed to spread disinformation while Russia bans every single independent outlet. This measures countries' success in curbing Russian disinformation spread through Russia Today and other platforms.
- EU banned Kremlin-backed RT, formerly known as Russia Today, and Sputnik.
- Google Europe, Facebook, Microsoft, Apple and TikTok followed the EU law and removed Russian disinformation channels from their platforms.
- EU suspended the broadcasting of Rossiya RTR/RTR Planeta, Rossiya 24/Russia 24, and TV Centre International.
Replace Russian Energy
Replacing Russian energy exports with alternative energy sources. That includes increasing production and opening new sources from fracking to nuclear to renewables.
- EU stopped the certification of the Nord Stream 2 pipeline and banned imports of Russian coal starting in August 2022.
- Crude oil embargo will take effect in six months.
- EU leaders agreed to block more than two-thirds of Russian oil imports.
However,
- The oil ban will only affect oil that arrives by sea but not pipeline oil.
- EU is still highly dependent on Russian energy resources and has yet to develop a roadmap to effectively replace Russian gas and oil.