[By Guancha Observer Network, Chen Sijia] "In the sanctions against Russia, the United States and Europe are no longer in lockstep." According to a May 27 report by the German South German Newspaper, a report from the German Foreign Ministry shows that the negotiations between the EU and the US on jointly combating "helping Russia evade sanctions" have failed. EU officials complained that this marks the complete breakdown of transatlantic sanctions coordination, and there will be no further joint actions.

The report said that the EU Foreign Affairs Council held a meeting in Brussels on May 20. The EU hoped to cooperate with the US to jointly combat "helping Russia evade sanctions". The EU claimed that sanctions and export restrictions have had a "significant impact" on the Russian economy, but Russia is importing "war materials" through third countries, bypassing Western sanctions.

However, the German Foreign Ministry concluded in an internal report about this meeting that the negotiations between the EU and the US on jointly combating evasion of sanctions against Russia have failed. EU Special Representative for Sanctions Issues David O'Sullivan complained that transatlantic coordination on combating evasion of sanctions has completely broken down, and there will be no more "joint actions."

According to the report from the German Foreign Ministry, the cooperation of the G7 group has also "lost momentum" in this regard. Some experts believe that this may be because US President Trump is eager to restore business relations with Russia.

In addition, the internal report pointed out that although the EU urgently wants to prevent other countries from "helping Russia evade sanctions," some EU companies continue to profit from illegal transactions with Russia, which will severely weaken the position of the European Commission in its negotiations with third countries.

The tanker "Eagle S", accused by the EU of having ties with Russia, Deutsche Presse-Agentur

The EU adopted the 17th round of sanctions against Russia on May 20, including sanctions on 189 ships of Russia's "shadow fleet", listing important oil and gas enterprises such as Surgutneftegas and an oil transportation company in Russia on the sanctions list, as well as sanctions on multiple entities and individuals.

German Foreign Minister Johann Waidfur stated on May 25 that the EU is discussing the implementation of a new round of sanctions against Russia, which will cause economic losses to Russia. He declared: "The West will make a clear response, and I believe the United States will also make such a clear response."

Bloomberg News reported on May 24, citing sources familiar with the matter, that the 18th round of sanctions may include removing more than 20 banks from the SWIFT international settlement system, lowering price caps on Russian oil and oil products, and expanding sanctions on the "shadow fleet."

US media reported that due to dissatisfaction with Russia's continued strikes on Ukraine and the slow progress of peace talks, Trump is considering imposing new sanctions on Russia. Sources told The Wall Street Journal that the additional sanctions imposed by the US may not include new banking restrictions, but other pressure options are under discussion with the aim of forcing Russia to make concessions at the negotiating table.

According to the sources, Trump is also tired of the peace talks and is considering abandoning the negotiations altogether if the last push fails.

In response to the sanctions threats from the West, Russian Presidential Spokesman Peskov responded on May 10 that Russia is very clear on how to minimize the impact of European sanctions when necessary. "We are used to sanctions. We can even anticipate what we will do after these sanctions are announced and how we will maximize their reduction."

This article is an exclusive article of the Guancha Observer Network and cannot be reprinted without permission.

Original source: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7509087791813313034/

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