The European Union's top diplomat, Kaja Kallas, has signalled that Brussels will push for a significantly expanded sanctions regime against Russia in the coming months. In an interview with the German newspaper Die Welt, Kallas said she would table "the most far-reaching sanctions listings since the start of the war," with the aim of increasing the total number of sanctioned Russian companies and individuals by roughly a third.
"The pressure must keep growing until Moscow ends its war," she said, underscoring the bloc's determination to maintain economic pressure on the Kremlin. Since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, the EU has adopted 21 packages of sanctions, targeting political and military leaders, oligarchs, and key enterprises. To date, more than 3,000 individuals and entities have been blacklisted, and over €28 billion in private assets held in the EU have been frozen.
If Kallas's proposal is realised, the new listings could add around 1,000 more names to the EU's sanctions list. Any such expansion requires the unanimous approval of all 27 member states, a process that has become increasingly fraught as national economic interests clash with the collective goal of weakening Russia's war machine.
Resistance from member states
The most recent package, adopted earlier this year, was nearly derailed by Greece, which demanded a special exemption from the EU-wide ban on shipping Russian liquefied natural gas (LNG) as a condition for its approval. Athens ultimately secured that carve-out, despite strong objections from other diplomats, raising questions about how far individual countries can go to protect their commercial ties with Moscow.
Kallas acknowledged the challenge but expressed confidence that the EU could still act decisively. She also voiced optimism about transatlantic coordination, noting that a Russia sanctions bill championed by the late US senator Lindsey Graham had passed the Senate with bipartisan support. "The US and the EU could move closer in their sanctions policy," she said, pointing to the potential for a more unified Western approach.
The sanctions are designed to restrict Moscow's ability to fund and sustain its military operations in Ukraine by targeting its defence complex, industrial base, and export revenues. Kallas estimated that the Kremlin has already paid a heavy price for EU measures, with the economic cost exceeding one trillion euros.
Despite the scale of the existing sanctions, their impact has been uneven. While Russia's economy has shown resilience in some sectors, recent Ukrainian strikes on refineries have caused fuel shortages, and the broader pressure is beginning to bite. The EU's next move will be closely watched, not only in Moscow but also in capitals like Berlin, Paris, and Rome, where the balance between economic pain and political unity is delicate.
Kallas's announcement comes amid a series of security incidents across the continent, including NATO jets intercepting a Russian-linked drone over Latvia and Poland foiling an alleged Russian plot. These events underscore the broader confrontation between Moscow and the West, which extends far beyond the battlefield in Ukraine.
As the autumn approaches, the EU's ability to craft a robust sanctions package will test its unity. The bloc has repeatedly stressed that its measures are reversible only if Russia changes course, but the growing friction among member states suggests that maintaining that resolve will require careful diplomacy. Kallas's pledge to go further is a clear signal that the EU intends to keep the pressure on, even as the economic costs of doing so become more visible at home.
