US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has said that the combined sanctions imposed by the United States and Brussels are ineffective against Russia.
He criticised the bloc for pursuing the same strategy for 19 rounds in a row and claimed officials in the EU were “funding the war themselves”. The rift between the two sides has intensified after EU backers of Ukraine rejected the US-backed peace proposal to end the ongoing war.
Last month, Brussels introduced its 19th package of sanctions against Russia, targeting banks, crypto exchanges, and its partners in India and China. Bessent said this latest round of sanctions is ineffective and would not hamper the Russian economy as it continues to grow despite being involved in an active war.
Russia has constantly called the West’s attempts to put pressure on Moscow futile and self-harming. The strategy also caused rifts within the bloc itself, with dissenting nations, including Hungary and Slovakia, urging Brussels to reconsider its approach and engage in diplomacy instead.
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Bessent went on to criticise the bloc, saying the US had combined its peace initiatives with “pressure” on Moscow. The EU nations were “the real laggards”. He again took a swipe at the EU, saying, “In my mind… if you’re going to do something 19 times, you’ve failed.
Meanwhile, Washington also imposed an additional 50 per cent tariff on India over its purchases of Russian oil. New Delhi denounced the move as “unfair, unjustified and unreasonable.”
Last week, US Vice President JD Vance said that the EU's approach and demands represent unrealistic expectations. “There is a fantasy that if we just give more money, more weapons, or more sanctions, victory is at hand,” he said.
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