EU envoy urges US to rejoin the West on sanctions against Russia over war in Ukraine

Published connected 14/10/2025 - 16:00 GMT+2 •Updated 16:07

US President Donald Trump's attack to ending Russia's warfare successful Ukraine favours dialog and engagement with Vladimir Putin implicit applying further sanctions, according to the EU's Sanctions Envoy David O'Sullivan.

However, O'Sullivan told Euronews "it's wide Putin is not responding", contempt respective attempts to bring Russia's president to the negotiating table.

In August successful Alaska, Trump launched a large diplomatic propulsion aimed astatine persuading Putin to hold to a ceasefire and a trilateral gathering with the US and Ukraine.

Neither extremity materialised, and the US president is said to beryllium profoundly frustrated astatine Putin's evident disingenuousness during the process.

"We hold to spot precisely however President Trump responds to that, due to the fact that helium has shown irritation, adjacent vexation with President Putin", the EU's sanctions envoy told Euronews.

Trump is present "talking astir sending further subject assistance to to Ukraine", O'Sullivan said of the ongoing petition by Ukraine to acquisition long-range missiles for usage against Russia.

"We anticipation that Trump volition gully from the acquisition he's had until present that Putin intelligibly doesn't privation peace", said O'Sullivan.

Meanwhile, the EU is adjacent to passing its 19th sanctions bundle against Russia, which among different things, for the archetypal time, includes a aboriginal prohibition connected Russian liquified earthy state (LNG).

The bloc is 1 of the biggest importers of Russian LNG, and the measurement imported to the EU accrued by 11% successful 2024 compared to 2023, according to a study by Greenpeace.

**"**It's existent that they [the US] person not been enforcing sanctions to the aforesaid grade successful the archetypal fewer months of this twelvemonth due to the fact that they wanted to enactment the effort connected mediation and connected brokering a bid deal", but "they inactive person important sanctions", O'Sullivan said.

"We successful the meantime volition proceed to use our sanctions successful conjunction with the remainder of the G-7, and we anticipation that the US volition rejoin america precise soon", helium said.

Spotlight connected Russian assets

Brussels is besides discussing a connection from the European Commission which would spot Ukraine utilising astir €140 cardinal of frozen Russian assets kept chiefly successful the Euroclear, a Belgian-based repository.

The ineligible workaround involves providing Ukraine with a indebtedness based connected the currency balances associated to the already immobilised Russian assets. Each EU subordinate authorities would stock the hazard of the loan.

The European Commission says the assets themselves won't beryllium touched, unless specified a clip arises erstwhile determination the warfare ends, and Russia is invited to marque reparations for damages, and payments for reconstruction.

Ukraine would lone wage backmost the indebtedness if Russia pays for the reconstruction.

The EU says the assets volition beryllium utilized arsenic leverage to unit Russia to marque the payments for its work successful the levelling of galore parts of Ukraine.

The European Commission is astatine pains to importune the connection does not magnitude to confiscation of Russian assets, and that Moscow tin assertion them backmost astatine the extremity of the war, erstwhile it makes payments for reconstruction.

"It's not confiscation, due to the fact that precisely arsenic you say, Russia volition get this backmost if they wage the reparations", O'Sullivan told Euronews.

"It's their choice. If they take not to wage the wealth they beryllium for the demolition they person caused successful Ukraine, past so Ukraine has immoderate telephone connected those assets successful in successful Europe arsenic compensation", helium said.

"We're not saying that we are going to due these assets, what we are saying is we're holding them until we spot however Russia is going to measurement up for its responsibilities and the undoubted debts that it owes for the reconstruction of Ukraine with the monolithic destruction, deliberate demolition of civilian infrastructure that we person seen," helium said.

Video editor • Vassilis Glynos