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Updated February 13, 2018
EU Sanctions on Russia Related to the Ukraine Conflict
The European Union (EU), like the United States, has
imposed sanctions against Russia for its annexation of
Ukraine's Crimea region in 2014 and its subsequent support
of separatists in eastern Ukraine. Many Members of
Congress have welcomed EU efforts to resolve the crisis in
Ukraine and have broadly supported U.S.-EU coordination
on sanctions. The Countering Russian Influence in Europe
and Eurasia Act of 2017 (P.L. 115-44; Countering
America's Adversaries Through Sanctions Act [CAATSA],
Title II; 22 U.S.C. 9501 et seq.) expanded the potential for
U.S. sanctions on Russia, raising concerns among EU
members. Congress included language in the act to reassure
the EU that the United States would seek the EU's input
before imposing new sanctions that could affect EU gas
imports from Russia or European entities that finance or
support the construction of Russian export pipelines. Some
EU qualms persist about the possible impact of U.S.
sanctions on the EU and their implications for U.S.-EU
cooperation on Ukraine. (Also see CRS In Focus IF10694,
Countering America's Adversaries Through Sanctions Act.)
EU Skaon
Imposing EU sanctions-or restrictive measures in EU
parlance-requires the unanimous agreement of all 28 EU
member states. Most EU sanctions are imposed for a
defined period of time, usually six months or a year, after
which they require renewal to remain in place. Unanimity
among EU member states is required to extend EU
sanctions. In response to Russia's annexation of Crimea and
its actions against the territorial integrity of Ukraine, the EU
has imposed three sets of sanctions against Russia:
* Restrictive measures on individuals and entities in
Russia and Ukraine believed to be involved in the
annexation of Crimea and destabilization of eastern
Ukraine. Designees are subject to asset freezes and, for
individuals, visa bans. As of February 2018, the EU has
designated 150 individuals and 38 entities. These
measures are currently in force through March 15, 2018
(Council Decision 2014/145/CFSP, March 17, 2014).
* Economic sanctions targeting Russia's finance,
defense, and energy sectors (sectoral sanctions). The
EU requires its member states to impose lending and
investment restrictions on five major state-controlled
Russian banks, three defense firms, and three energy
companies, as well as their subsidiaries outside the EU.
The sanctions also ban the import and export of arms;
the sale of dual-use goods and technology to Russian
military end users and nine mixed companies; and sales
of equipment, technology, and services for certain oil-
development projects (deepwater, Arctic offshore, and
shale). These measures are currently in force through
July 31, 2018 (Council Decision 2014/512/CFSP, July
31, 2014).
Restrictions on trade, investment, and tourism
services with the occupied Crimea region. These
measures are currently in force through June 23, 2018
(Council Decision 2014/386/CFSP, June 23, 2014).
Also, as of February 2018, the EU has frozen assets of and
imposed visa bans on 15 former Ukrainian officials (serving
in the previous government of Viktor Yanukovych) for the
misappropriation of Ukrainian state funds. These measures
are currently in force through March 6, 2018 (Council
Decision 2014/119/CFSP, March 5, 2014).
In the first half of 2014, U.S. and EU sanctions focused
mostly on denying visas to and imposing asset freezes on
Russian and Ukrainian government officials and pro-
Russian separatists. Given the EU's extensive economic ties
with Russia, many in the EU were hesitant to escalate
sanctions. Amid congressional pressure, the Obama
Administration announced sectoral sanctions on selected
Russian financial, defense, and energy companies on July
16, 2014. The next day, Malaysia Airlines Flight MH17
was shot down over eastern Ukraine (with 298 people
aboard, two-thirds of whom were Dutch citizens).
Intelligence sources indicated that the plane was brought
down by separatist forces using a missile supplied by the
Russian military. This event prompted the EU to expand its
sanctions list and impose new sectoral sanctions on Russia.
As of February 2018, the United States has designated 181
individuals and 140 entities. The U.S. and EU lists of
designated individuals and entities, however, are not
exactly the same, with various legal and political reasons
accounting for some of the differences. The EU has
imposed sanctions on more individuals and entities directly
related to the fighting in Ukraine: military officials,
insurgents, and battalions. The United States has
specifically designated more entities affiliated with already-
designated individuals and entities, as well as more
companies operating in Crimea, whereas the EU has
blanket restrictions on Crimea-related activities. The EU is
unable to impose restrictive measures on some individuals
because those individuals hold dual citizenship with EU
countries. Finally, the EU removes individuals due to death
(the United States requires a decedent's survivors to
petition for removal).
EU and U.S. restrictions against lending and/or investments
with entities in specific sectors mostly overlap and target a
handful of key companies in the financial, defense, and
energy sectors, as well as exports and services related to
deepwater, Arctic offshore, or shale oil projects in Russia
(see Table 1). The manners in which the United States and
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