Leonid Bershidsky, Columnist

The Resolve Behind Russia Sanctions Is Weakening

Sanctions may be extended, but both Europe and Russia are willing to take baby steps toward better terms.

May 31, 2016 at 12:54 PM UTC

Leonid Bershidsky, formerly Bloomberg Opinion’s Europe columnist, is a member of the Bloomberg News Automation Team. He recently published Russian translations of George Orwell’s “1984” and Franz Kafka’s “The Trial.”

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Photographer: Mikhail Svetlov

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Each time the European Union's sanctions against Russia come up for renewal, there's speculation that some countries might break ranks and vote against the trade and financing restrictions. There will probably be no deserters this time around either; but a softening of the sanctions is on the cards in the near future.

In December, the sanctions, which include travel bans and asset freezes for some Russian officials and friends of President Vladimir Putin, as well as more painful restrictions on debt market access for some big state-owned companies, were extended until July 31. Next month, the EU will consider a prolongation for another six months.