EU Delays New Sanctions On Russia After Trump’s Oil Warning

The European Union has put its next round of sanctions against Russia on hold, with no new timeline for when the measures will move forward, according to a report by Politico citing EU officials.

Politico correspondent Sarah Wheaton writes Tuesday, “The next sanctions package against Russia — the 19th since Moscow began its war against Ukraine — is no longer expected to be presented on Wednesday, an EU diplomat and a national official told my colleague Camille Gijs.”

“It’s fallen off the Coreper II agenda as U.S. President Donald Trump and the EU’s own pressure build on Slovakia and Hungary to cut their reliance on Russian oil,” the report adds.

EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas had previously said the 19th sanctions package should be ready by the end of the month, which suggests that indeed the new Trump pressure is likely a major obstacle which explains the delay.

There’s also been some behind the scenes wrangling over how far-reaching the punitive measures might be, especially on the question of visas for Russians.

Some EU member states are pushing for the new sanctions to include tougher, bloc-wide rules on visas for Russian citizens. As it stands, each country sets differing policies related to tourist visas, with several EU members blocking all Russian tourist visas outright – though countries like Spain and Slovakia recently reopened their visa centers in Moscow.

Some anti-Putin activists have admitted that a blanket EU ban would only harm everyday people, and the Kremlin would see itself justified in alleging ‘Russophobic’ policies out of Brussels.

Against the backdrop of the internal EU policy debate, over the weekend President Trump urged NATO members to stop buying Russian oil and pushed the idea of imposing steep tariffs, possibly up to 100%, on Chinese goods in order to pressure Beijing from supporting Moscow.

Europe stumped by Trump demands to stop buying Russian oil before he moves on punishing Moscow.

EU has already banned most imports of Russian oil after the Kremlin’s invasion of Ukraine, slashing the share of oil it imports from Russia from 29% in early 2021 to 2% by mid-2025… pic.twitter.com/7bMSfQejAF

— AFP News Agency (@AFP) September 16, 2025

But the reality remains that especially Turkey, Slovakia, and Hungary are heavily reliant on Russian energy, and aren’t going to agree to drastic measures which harm their own populations and economies.

The newest proposes sanctions would take aim at Russia’s payment and credit card networks, cryptocurrency exchanges, as well as impose additional restrictions on its oil trade. In total it would target about half a dozen Russian banks and energy companies.

Below: Trump’s latest to reporters:

“Zelensky is gonna have to make a deal.”

Trump once again slams Europe for buying Russian oil: “You know, they talk, but they’re gonna have to stop buying oil from Russia.”

‘Zelensky is gonna have to make a DEAL’ — Trump

Slams Europe for buying Russian oil

‘You know, they talk, but they’re gonna have to stop buying oil from Russia’ https://t.co/6C2Im3KQK7 pic.twitter.com/3XYqePLxX6

— RT (@RT_com) September 16, 2025

US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent in a Meet the Press interview on Sunday said: “We are prepared to increase pressure on Russia, but we need our partners in Europe to follow.”

Urging Europe to act more aggressively, he said, “We are talking about what the two, the EU and the U.S., do together. But we need our European partners to follow us.”