Has Europe and the uk put sanctions on the Trump administration
Executive summary
European governments and the UK have continued to impose and renew sanctions on Russia through 2025 even as the Trump administration has shifted U.S. policy and at times failed to join or actively coordinate new measures; the House of Commons briefing notes the Trump team “did not join the UK, the EU and other allies … in imposing any new sanctions on Russia” in its first nine months, while EU and UK sanctions packages remained in force and were renewed [1] [2]. Reporting shows growing transatlantic tensions after the Trump administration’s 2025 National Security Strategy that frames Europe as declining and signals a different, more transactional U.S. approach [3] [4].
1. What Europe and the UK have done: sustained and targeted sanctions
Since 2022 the EU and the UK have maintained an extensive suite of sanctions targeting Russia — including trade restrictions, asset freezes and measures aimed at the “shadow fleet” moving embargoed goods — and have renewed or sharpened those measures across 2025 even as they plan contingency “Plan B” options if U.S. policy diverges [2] [5]. European enforcement has included direct domestic actions — for example, state intervention and divestment processes tied to Russian oil assets in Bulgaria and elsewhere — that show EU members and neighbouring states are using their own levers regardless of what Washington does [6].
2. The U.S. (Trump) divergence: limited early coordination, later selective action
Multiple analysts and an official UK research note found that in the Trump administration’s early months it did not join allies in imposing new Russia sanctions nor add new names to its Russia list, raising concerns about coordination on Ukraine policy [1]. That pattern contrasts with later December 2025 moves in which the U.S. did impose sanctions on major Russian energy firms — actions Reuters reports could force asset sales and reshape European energy markets — but those measures came amid frayed diplomatic ties rather than full allied unity [1] [6].
3. The political framing: U.S. strategy paper deepens the rift
Washington’s 2025 National Security Strategy describes Europe in stark terms — warning of “civilisational erasure” and arguing the U.S. should “cultivate resistance” inside European countries — language that European leaders and institutions received as hostile and that has amplified concern about U.S. willingness to act in concert with allies [3] [7]. Media and policy commentary note this rhetoric is part of a broader Trump-era doctrine that prioritises transactional tools (tariffs, secondary sanctions, export controls) and a narrower Western Hemisphere focus [8] [4].
4. European responses and contingency planning
EU institutions and several member states have signalled they will sustain sanctions pressure independently if U.S. coordination lapses: the EU renewed Russia sanctions in early 2025 and explored alternate packages meant to keep leverage even if Washington withdraws support or a single member state blocks new measures [2] [5]. Analysts at the EU Institute for Security Studies and others point to exemptions and management of Russian assets as evidence Europe is preparing to act with its own tools if necessary [9].
5. Competing narratives and what the sources disagree on
Sources agree Europe is keeping sanctions in place and that U.S.-European relations are strained; they diverge on interpretation. Some reporting and commentary (Foreign Policy, Guardian, Axios) argue Europe still holds stronger levers — frozen assets, most of the economic and military aid for Ukraine — and can act independently [10] [11] [12]. Other pieces emphasise the danger of a divided Western front if Washington reorients toward rapprochement with Moscow, which could blunt sanctions’ bite and complicate enforcement [1] [3].
6. Limitations and gaps in the reporting
Available sources document EU/UK sanctions renewal and early Trump administration inaction and later selective U.S. sanctions, but they do not provide a comprehensive, day-by-day catalogue of every sanction measure by every actor across 2025; they also do not quantify the full economic impact of European-only measures versus coordinated transatlantic packages [1] [6] [5]. Details on internal EU deliberations and member-state exemptions are reported selectively, and some commentary pieces carry clear editorial perspectives [8] [11].
7. Bottom line for readers
Europe and the UK have continued to impose and renew sanctions on Russia independently of the U.S.; the Trump administration initially did not join new allied Russia measures in its early months, later applied its own significant energy-sector sanctions, and has articulated a National Security Strategy that widens the political gulf with Brussels and London [2] [1] [6] [3]. Observers should watch whether Europe’s “Plan B” packages and domestic enforcement actions sustain pressure in the event of further U.S.–EU decoupling [5] [9].