The European Union will continue to tighten sanctions on Russia and support Ukraine for as long as necessary, according to EU Sanctions Envoy David O'Sullivan, who said the bloc has already dramatically reduced its economic ties with Moscow since the start of the full-scale invasion.


In an interview with the Kyiv Independent, O'Sullivan said EU-Russia trade had fallen from roughly 260 billion euros before the war to about 58 billion euros today, representing a decline of more than 75%.


"We are very much, I think, in the lead," O'Sullivan said, noting that some observers had once believed reducing Europe's dependence on Russian energy would be extremely difficult.


According to O'Sullivan, most of the remaining trade consists of pharmaceuticals, medical devices and certain agricultural products that are exempt from sanctions for humanitarian reasons. Some dependencies, including nuclear fuel imports, still remain.


"You can't completely decouple that over two or three years, but we're getting very close to it," he said.


Appointed as the EU's first sanctions envoy after Russia launched its full-scale invasion in 2022, O'Sullivan said much of his work focuses on coordinating with international partners and preventing sanctions evasion through third countries.


Because EU sanctions are not mandated by the United Nations and are therefore not legally binding under international law, he said their effectiveness depends heavily on broad international support.


"The moral and economic force of our sanctions comes from the very large coalition that we have," O'Sullivan said.


He said he works closely with the G7 and other countries supporting sanctions, including Australia, South Korea, Norway and Switzerland. His travels have also taken him to Central Asia, the Caucasus, Türkiye, Serbia, the United Arab Emirates and Southeast Asia, regions that have become increasingly important in efforts to prevent Russia from circumventing restrictions.


The comments come as the EU prepares its 21st package of sanctions against Russia, expected to be adopted in July. O'Sullivan said additional measures would continue to be necessary as Moscow develops new methods to bypass existing restrictions.


"I think we will constantly need additional packages because it's not a static situation, it's a dynamic situation," he said.


At the same time, he expressed support for a more flexible approach involving continuous updates to sanctions lists rather than relying solely on major packages adopted at fixed intervals.


O'Sullivan also downplayed concerns that recent U.S. sanctions waivers and British exemptions related to energy products signalled a weakening of Western resolve, describing them as temporary measures aimed at addressing rising energy prices.


Despite the economic costs associated with sanctions, he argued that Europe must remain committed to the policy.


"The security architecture of the European continent is in play here. So if we have to take some additional economic pain, well, so be it," he said.


"I don't think you can push back against unprovoked Russian aggression while saying, well, we're not willing to take any pain. That just doesn't make sense," he added.


While acknowledging that businesses and governments have had to adjust to new restrictions, O'Sullivan said most companies had successfully found alternative markets.


"I don't think there are many companies that have had to shut down their operation because we've put sanctions on their exports to Russia," he said.


He stressed that the economic impact felt in Europe should be viewed against the far greater human and material costs borne by Ukraine during the war.


"Nothing compares to the pain that the Ukrainian people are going through, both in human and material terms, in terms of what's happening in their daily lives, but also economically," O'Sullivan said.


Reflecting on his role, O'Sullivan said he intended to continue serving as long as he remained useful.


"People ask me, do I enjoy it? And I always hesitate and say, how can you enjoy something which is part of a war?"


Nevertheless, he described the position as "professionally very challenging and rewarding" and praised the teams working on sanctions policy in Brussels, saying they were striving to make the measures "as effective as possible, as painful (for Russia) as possible."


By Aghakazim Guliyev