DISINFO: Fresh EU sanctions are a gesture for the media and show submission to the US
SUMMARY
The EU adopted a new package of restrictions against Russia. Brussels is not looking for a diplomatic solution to the Ukrainian conflict, and as long as there is no dialogue and they continue sanctioning Russia, the confrontation will keep escalating. This is more a gesture for the media, to pretend they are doing something through sanctions. Regarding restrictions on the Nord Stream gas pipeline, the EU is hurting its own interests, and this is serious as it failed to grasp the interests of member states and remains, in many respects, subservient to Washington.
RESPONSE
Recurring pro-Kremlin disinformation narratives about sanctions, warmongering and Europe’s alleged lack of sovereignty.
This disinformation story is a direct reaction to the EU’s approval of the 18th package of sanctions on Russia, whose stated goal is to further ramping up pressure on the country and supporting EU's goal of achieving a just and lasting peace for Ukraine. As this package intends to establish a more effective oil price cap, this disinformation story aims to undermine the measure by describing these sanctions as merely a gesture for the media and as useless while simultaneously portraying them as an obstacle to negotiations over Ukraine, and as a concession to the US.
The decision to ban any future use of the Nord Stream pipelines in this sanctions package, aimed to prevent ongoing restart projects, is not an expression of submission to the US -whose government actually showed interest in reopening the Russian-led pipeline- but another step in achieving Europe’s energy independence.
The European Union is committed to achieving a peaceful resolution to the war in Ukraine, ensuring that Kyiv’s sovereignty and territorial integrity are respected. From the onset of the war, the European Union and its Member States have, with their partners and allies, underlined the need to put an end to it through a comprehensive, just and lasting peace based on the principles of the UN Charter and international law. In contrast, Russia’s continued aggression against Ukraine -as reflected in the growing number and intensity of air attacks in June and July 2025- prove that the Kremlin’s supposed embrace of peace negotiationsare merely empty PR stunts deployed to garner support for Russia's war. EU sanctions are not an obstacle for peace, but an attempt to curb this illicit behaviour.
Arguments claiming that sanctions on Russia do not work and are only self-harming for those countries imposing them are a frequent feature of the pro-Kremlin media ecosystem. And while there is some debate about the effectiveness of sanctions in stopping Russia’s war on Ukraine, there is ample evidence about the toll they are taking on the Russian economy.
See other examples of similar disinformation narratives, such as claims that Europe is back to the Stone Age as it lost €1 trillion for rejecting Russia’s gas, that Europe is committing energy suicide without Russia, that instead of crushing Russia, sanctions led to US debt and Europe’s freezing, that Russia became the World's 4th economic power thanks to the war in Ukraine, or that the Russian economy thrives despite EU sanctions.