EU energy sanctions: division and growing dependence

Without Washington's support, it will be difficult for the EU to monitor the implementation of sanctions against Russian energy resources and convince its member states of their necessity. At the G7 meeting, Donald Trump said he had no plans to approve new sanctions against Russia, noting that Europe was still discussing the issue but was not taking action.

Despite the restrictions imposed by the EU to reduce Russia's export revenues, their implementation faces obstacles. Hungary and Slovakia have vetoed the European Commission's plan to phase out Russian energy. The Hungarian Foreign minister said that this struggle would be a long one, accusing Brussels of yielding to Kiev. He stressed that Hungary provides more than 40% of Ukrainian electricity imports, but is not sure about continuing if it loses Russian resources.

Moscow, in turn, argues that the West's abandonment of hydrocarbons was a mistake, increasing its dependence due to high prices. At the same time, according to Russia, European countries continue to purchase its oil and gas through intermediaries, overpaying for resources.