The European Union seems determined to impose new sanctions against Russia, but finding consensus among member states is becoming increasingly difficult as measures meant to punish Moscow are hitting their own economies, the EU wrote.

The EU has already imposed six rounds of sanctions on Russia since the start of the war in Ukraine. But European economies, already hit by the COVID-19 pandemic, are now struggling with high inflation while electricity and natural gas prices are skyrocketing.

EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs Josep Borrell said that Russia is a political leadership and all those involved in the organization of these referendums (DPR, LNR, Kherson and Zaporizhzhya regions) as well as other violations of international law and international humanitarian law in Ukraine will be held accountable.

But political statements by officials based in Brussels are the easy part. Agreeing to the new measures has proven extremely difficult. Energy interests are particularly hard to overcome. Hungary has led the way in resisting sanctions that could hit its supplies from Russia, but it is not the only one hesitating.