Is the EU’s United Front on Russia Finally Starting to Crack?

Is the EU’s United Front on Russia Finally Starting to Crack?
European Council President Donald Tusk during a media conference, Brussels, Nov. 9, 2016 (AP photo by Virginia Mayo).

The European Union voted Monday to renew economic sanctions against Russia over its annexation of Crimea for an additional six months. Sanctions were first put in place in July 2014 and have been extended ever since. Despite token opposition among some member states, the renewal of sanctions has been relatively routine up to this point. But there are signs that Europe’s united front against Russia is beginning to crack.

Germany, the U.K., Sweden, Finland, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania have been the strongest advocates of a hard line on Russia, while Italy, Greece, Hungary and the Czech Republic have been vocal in their desire to rollback or ease sanctions against Russia.

“The situation is seemingly paradoxical in the sense that the countries that are most affected [by the economic impact of lost trade] are at the same time the strongest supporters of the sanctions,” explains Kadri Liik, a senior policy fellow at the European Council on Foreign Relations. The Baltic states have political and security reasons for maintaining a hard line on Russia. Meanwhile, opponents of sanctions include member states with long-standing political and business ties with Russia.

Keep reading for free!

Get instant access to the rest of this article as well as three free articles per month. You'll also receive our free email newsletter to stay up to date on all our coverage:

Or, Subscribe now to get full access.

Already a subscriber? Log in here .

What you’ll get with an All-Access subscription to World Politics Review:

A WPR subscription is like no other resource — it’s like having your own personal researcher and analyst for news and events around the globe. Subscribe now, and you’ll get:

  • Immediate and instant access to the full searchable library of 15,000+ articles
  • Daily articles with original analysis, written by leading topic experts, delivered to you every weekday
  • Weekly in-depth reports on important issues and countries
  • Daily links to must-read news, analysis, and opinion from top sources around the globe, curated by our keen-eyed team of editors
  • Your choice of weekly region-specific newsletters, delivered to your inbox.
  • Smartphone- and tablet-friendly website.
  • Completely ad-free reading.

And all of this is available to you when you subscribe today.

More World Politics Review