The anti-Russian sanctions, which the European Union imposed on Russia, are affecting the Old World in the first place. For this reason, the EU is unwilling to keep pace with the USA, experts believe.
Josep Borrell, the head of European diplomacy, made a bleak statement for the White House. The EU has done everything it could as far as sanctions were concerned, he said. Europe can only hope that the restrictive measures will cause irreparable damage for the Russian economy and force the Kremlin to stop the military operation in Ukraine.
European officials pointed out the boomerang effect of such sanctions long before Borrell's statement. French President Emmanuel Macron, who urged his citizens not to rush to break cooperation with Russia, can serve as a good example. A number of representatives of the German establishment released similar statements as well.
The sanctions already cause enormous damage to the European economy. Borrell's statement comes as a message to EU's allies indicating that Europe is unwilling to follow the path of sanctions any longer.
The timing of this announcement is also remarkable. It was made after US Congress supported the ban on imports of hydrocarbons from Russia. The Europeans understand that they will not be able to live without Russian energy resources. European citizens will not be happy to suffer heavy financial losses solely for the sake of Washington.