EU Expands Russia Sanctions After Trump Diesel Deal

The European Union adopted its largest-ever sanctions expansion on Monday, targeting over 1,600 individuals and entities linked to Russia's ballistic missile production. This move follows a weekend agreement between United States President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin to suspend sanctions on Russian diesel exports to combat a global fuel shortage.

Under the deal, Russia will immediately release 300,000 tonnes of diesel, with 500,000 tonnes following in November and one million tonnes thereafter. To facilitate this, Washington issued a broad sanctions waiver effective until April 2027. EU officials condemned the agreement, arguing it undermines transatlantic unity and unfairly protects Russian oil refineries through an energy ceasefire.

In Germany, the deal has sparked domestic political conflict. The right-wing Alternative for Germany and the left-wing Sahra Wagenknecht Alliance are preparing a joint resolution in the Saxony-Anhalt parliament to demand an end to sanctions and financial support for Ukraine. Chancellor Friedrich Merz has rejected this proposal, vowing to maintain support for Kyiv.

EU foreign ministers, including High Representative Kaja Kallas and Swedish Foreign Minister Maria Malmer Stenergard, insisted that Europe must maintain pressure on Moscow regardless of the U.S. position. Some officials advocated for the use of frozen Russian assets to support Ukraine as a countermeasure to the U.S. waiver.