“The EU has rolled out 10 far-reaching and unprecedented sanctions packages against Russia with incredible efficiency,” O’Sullivan said. But now, he says, “we need to focus on implementing and combating the bypass.”
O’Sullivan noted that in some respects a restructuring is needed. “My role now is to ensure their effective implementation, and not bypass through third countries,” he added.
O’Sullivan said he had already contacted countries that Russia could use to circumvent sanctions. “Cooperation and engagement in dialogue with third countries that can be used as a bypass platform is vital. I have already started my work by visiting the United Arab Emirates with my US and UK counterparts. Further visits are planned.”
As the newspaper notes, the sanctions had less impact than the leaders of the bloc had hoped. In particular, the value of Russian exports to the EU increased in 2022 compared to the previous year, mainly due to higher energy and raw material prices.
In addition, despite wide-ranging sanctions on aircraft spare parts, Russian carrier Aeroflot is still flying – its aircraft are being repaired and serviced in Turkey.
The Russian defense industry has replaced sanctioned parts with dual-use items and repurposed consumer goods. On the territory of Russia, they remove microchips from toasters to use them for their guided missiles.
