The News
The European Union upped its focus on pushing back against Russia, readying new sanctions against Moscow’s “shadow fleet” and agreeing a €150 billion plan to boost regional defense spending.
The announcements came a day after US President Donald Trump spoke to the leaders of Russia and Ukraine, calls which analysts said largely resulted in little real pressure on Moscow.
The EU, by contrast, is expected to approve restrictions on the vessels and people who help Russia evade curbs on its oil sales and yesterday signed off on a program to jointly buy weapons.
Brussels’ stance may change, though: “If Trump loosens sanctions on Russia, there will be pressure inside the EU to weaken European sanctions,” the Financial Times’ chief foreign affairs commentator noted.