Europe’s message to Washington is that Moscow gets no sanctions relief and no new commerce while its war in Ukraine continues, as European diplomats described it to the Financial Times for an October 27, 2026 article. The objection puts Europe Russia sanctions deals at the center of the reported US-Russian talks, because several of the ventures depend on EU decisions Washington cannot make.
Where it stands: The EU’s economic sanctions on Russia were renewed in June and run until July 31, 2027. As of October 28, no formal EU reaction to the FT report had been reported.
The proposals themselves remain unsettled. On the American side, an official quoted by the FT tied any economic agreements to a peace accord, calling them “subject to a comprehensive peace framework” and saying “nothing is finalised.” Moscow stayed quiet: the Kremlin’s spokesman gave the FT no reply, and the office of Kremlin envoy Kirill Dmitriev would not comment.
What have European diplomats told the US?
That the answer is no until the fighting stops, and that Europe gets a say. The FT reported that European diplomats “have stressed that any decisions affecting EU interests cannot be taken without Europe’s approval.”
That message matters because, according to the FT, Washington and Moscow have been weighing these ideas “without direct Ukrainian or European participation.” One European diplomat doubted that money would change Putin’s calculation at all. “It’s not about money,” the diplomat said. “It’s about humiliation and control.”
The FT story identifies its European sources only as diplomats. As of October 28, no named statement from an EU government responding to the report had been reported, so the clearest public positions remain those leaders gave earlier in October, set out below.
Why do Europe Russia sanctions deals need EU approval?
Because several of the reported ventures run through European markets, ports or pipelines that EU law now restricts or closes to Russia. The FT said one idea, exporting Russian potash through Baltic ports, is “a move that would require the EU to lift sanctions.”
The Kyiv Post made the same point about gas in its coverage of an Economist report on Nord Stream: “EU membership, like access to Europe’s energy market, cannot be guaranteed by Washington.” The table matches the reported ideas to the European rules they would collide with.
| Idea | European rule in the way |
|---|---|
| Potash exports via Baltic ports | EU sanctions would have to be lifted, the FT says |
| Gas through Nord Stream | 18th package bans Nord Stream transactions; gas phase-out law |
| Russian oil to Europe via Druzhba | Only a temporary exemption for some states; Commission opposes a postwar return |
| Using frozen central bank assets (2025 US draft plan) | Immobilised under Article 122; release needs a new qualified majority |
| Any broader sanctions relief | Economic sanctions renewed to July 31, 2027 |
Druzhba is a partial exception: Hungary and Slovakia still take Russian crude through it under what AP called “a temporary exemption from an EU policy prohibiting imports of Russian oil.” The Nord Stream barrier is explicit. The EU’s 18th sanctions package, approved in July 2025, introduced “a new ban on transactions related to Nord Stream pipelines,” European Pravda reported, “effectively ending any future use of their infrastructure.” Our main report lists all nine proposals.
How does unanimity give each EU country a veto?
EU sanctions packages need every member state on board. When Hungary threatened to block a package in February, the Kyiv Independent explained: “The package requires unanimity — meaning all 27 member states must agree.”
That rule has cut both ways. Until this year the economic sanctions were renewed for six months at a time, and Ukrainska Pravda reported that “The previous six-month term had allowed certain capitals, including Budapest, the opportunity to use it as a bargaining chip,” and that a longer term became possible after Viktor Orbán lost Hungary’s April election.
In June the Council extended the economic sanctions “for a further 12 months – until 31 July 2027,” the first full-year renewal of the war. The Council’s stated position is that it will keep the measures for as long as Russia “continues its unlawful actions.” Washington has a parallel brake of its own; see how Congress can review any easing of Russia sanctions.
What leverage do the frozen Russian assets give Europe?
They give the EU a hand on any settlement that touches the money, and the EU moved last December to lock that in. EU ambassadors used the treaties’ Article 122 emergency clause to freeze Russia’s central bank reserves with no end date, a route that “only requires a qualified majority,” Euronews reported, rather than the unanimity that ordinary sanctions need.
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The law bars returning “the €210 billion in assets back to the Russian Central Bank,” with €185 billion of that held at Euroclear in Brussels. Euronews said the EU acted “amid fears that the United States might seek control of the Russian funds and use them in a future settlement with Moscow to end the war.” Releasing them would take “a new qualified majority.”
Zelensky has argued that Ukraine should not give that leverage away early: “I do not want us to find ourselves without any leverage – lacking sanctions, funds, or frozen assets – when we sit down with Putin.” The fight over the assets is the subject of our piece on the frozen Russian assets dispute.
What have EU leaders said publicly this month?
They have said the pressure stays on. After the US suspended sanctions on Russian diesel, EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas wrote: “This is not the time to ease pressure on Russia, and Europe won’t.” German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said on Oct. 13: “Russia will only negotiate seriously under pressure, which is why we are sticking to our sanctions against Russia.”
The bloc acted on that line days after Washington’s diesel move. EU foreign ministers “added some 1,569 people and businesses to the bloc’s sanctions list,” Al Jazeera reported. The Commission’s July statement on the 21st package argued that “Russia’s economy is slowing sharply, and EU sanctions have effectively cut Russia off from the global financial system.” All of these statements predate the FT report.
Is Europe still buying Russian energy?
Less and less, and EU law now sets an end date for gas. In December 2025 the EU agreed to phase out Russian gas imports by late 2027. Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said: “Today, we are stopping these imports permanently.”
Reuters reported that Russia supplied 12% of EU gas imports as of October 2025, down from 45% before the 2022 invasion. The FT noted that Merz “has ruled out reviving the Nord Stream 2 pipeline.” Brussels has also signalled it will not drift back after a ceasefire: in March the Commission’s energy spokesperson repeated von der Leyen’s description of any postwar return to Russian supply as a “strategic blunder.”
Frequently Asked Questions
Why does Europe oppose US-Russia business deals?
According to the FT, European diplomats want no sanctions relief and no business with Moscow until the fighting is over. One diplomat said the war is about humiliation and control, not money.
Can the US lift EU sanctions on Russia?
No. EU sanctions are adopted and renewed by the 27 member states. The FT said the reported potash idea would require the EU itself to lift sanctions, and Europe says decisions affecting its interests need its approval.
When do EU sanctions on Russia expire?
The EU extended its economic sanctions in June 2026 for 12 months, until July 31, 2027. It was the first full-year renewal since the invasion; earlier renewals ran six months.
Where are the frozen Russian assets held?
The EU has immobilised about €210 billion of Russian central bank assets, Euronews reported, with €185 billion held at Euroclear in Brussels. Release would require a new qualified majority of EU states.
Is the EU still importing Russian gas?
Some, but a phase-out law agreed in December 2025 ends Russian gas imports by late 2027. Russia supplied 12% of EU gas imports as of October 2025, down from 45% before the invasion, Reuters reported.
Sources
- Washington discusses Russian deals for US oil majors in Ukraine peace talks — Financial Times, October 27, 2026
- EU says lifting diesel sanctions gives Russia ‘revenues to wage war’ — AFP (via Arab News), October 10, 2026
- Trump insists energy ceasefire holds as Ukraine reports new Russian strikes — Al Jazeera, October 13, 2026
- EU extends economic sanctions against Russia for another year — Ukrainska Pravda, June 25, 2026
- The Council of the European Union has officially extended economic sanctions against Russia through July 2027 — LIGA.net, June 25, 2026
- Hungary, Slovakia spat with Ukraine deepens as Budapest threatens to block new EU sanctions — The Kyiv Independent, February 22, 2026
- EU triggers emergency clause to indefinitely immobilise Russian assets — Euronews, December 11, 2025
- EU agrees to end Russian gas imports by late 2027, Hungary, Slovakia oppose — Reuters (via Cyprus Mail), December 3, 2025
- EU delays proposal to ban Russian oil amid Iran war price spikes and Druzhba row — Euronews, March 24, 2026
- US Proposed Reviving Nord Stream as Peace Incentive – The Economist — Kyiv Post (reporting The Economist), October 23, 2026
- EU approves 18th sanctions package against Russia — European Pravda, July 18, 2025
- Hungary threatens to block fresh EU sanctions against Russia over oil deliveries — The Associated Press (via Yahoo News), February 22, 2026
- EU adopts 21st package of sanctions against Russia — European Commission, DG FISMA, July 23, 2026
- Zelensky: Ukraine Offered US 3 Ways to Stop Strikes on Russian Oil Refineries — Kyiv Post, October 26, 2026
This article is news reporting and analysis based on the public sources listed above, as they stood on the dates shown. Where officials, lawmakers or analysts disagree, including on whether an action is lawful, their positions are attributed to them; Donald Trump Class Action is not a court and nothing here is legal advice. Facts in a developing story can change.