Why does the West quietly ease sanctions on Russia?

(Dan Tri) – Observers say that the West seems to be quietly easing sanctions against Russia in some areas to avoid negative impacts from previous sanctions.

Russia’s position in the energy industry seems to make it difficult for the West to punish Moscow without harming itself (Photo: Reuters).

The war between Russia and Ukraine has entered its 6th month and tensions between Moscow and the West have escalated rapidly over the past time.

However, there is a reality that many experts and politicians have admitted: the West has hurt itself by trying to punish Russia.

Therefore, according to experts, the West has recently begun to take silent measures to relax tough measures against Russia.

First, the European Union (EU) decided to add exceptions to Russia sanctions, allowing countries outside the bloc to transact with sanctioned Russian entities, including banks and businesses.

According to observers, the EU seems to be making efforts to convince all parties that the sanctions against Russia are completely unrelated to the disruption of global food or energy supplies, or at least, the EU

In the European Council’s announcement, the EU said it is `committed to avoiding the use of measures that could lead to food insecurity globally. The EU does not apply any measures to hinder the trade of agricultural products.`

The EU may have realized that sanctions against Russia do not seem to be working too effectively in the way the EU wants, and risk hurting third parties unrelated to the war in Ukraine.

Inadequacies

In addition, experts say that the EU has also made adjustments in sanctions to allow a portion of Russian oil to enter the market to avoid causing world oil prices to skyrocket.

Two months ago, the EU announced a worldwide ban on providing marine insurance to Russian tankers.

The US, meanwhile, is lobbying its allies to impose price ceilings on Russian oil to reduce Moscow’s revenue.

Another paradox that the EU faces is that despite banning Russian oil, this product is still exported to a third party outside the EU.

Therefore, according to expert Alastair Crooke, the EU’s recent moves have been to quietly relax sanctions imposed on Russia.

Observers say that Western policymakers seem to have realized the fact that punishing Russia is not as easy as punishing other small-scale oil exporters.