After Russia’s annexation of Crimea in March 2014, the European Union (EU) introduced a set o political and economic sanctions against Russia, which have grown in scope throughout the year and increased even more with the escalation of the crisis in Ukraine.

The EU sanctions against Russia over the situation in Ukraine have imposed a long-term cost on Russia for violating key international norms, such as territorial integrity and the sovereignty of states, which Russia is gravely violating.

Applying economic pressure – in addition to a diplomatic one – on Russia to reconsider its involvement in the Ukrainian crisis, the sanctions do not only impose economic costs to the EU itself – with EU member states hit in different ways and magnitudes – but also entail global ramifications. Further, imposing sanctions against Russia contributed to the economic costs caused by Russian counter-measures. After all, economic sanctions often inflict greater costs on the country imposing them than on the country at which they are aimed.

Sanctions are often invoked to address public opinion’s call for actions in response to foreign developments. Even though the statesmen rarely have confidence in the sanctions to change the policies of the target countries, the sanctions may well satisfy the public outrage.

Lastly, EU foreign policy has struggled to maintain unity among its member states in supporting the application of sanctions against Russia and also in presenting a clear vision about its goals in the region, which has raised old concerns over the effectiveness and necessity of the EU foreign policy. Further, the EU sanctions against Russia highlighted a lack of leadership in EU foreign policy as well as the dominant role of the biggest member states, like Germany.

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