US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has publicly criticized the European Union’s sanctions strategy against Russia, calling it ineffective and counterproductive. Bessent argued that the repeated application of the same sanctions measures without success indicates a fundamental flaw in the approach. The EU’s 19th package of sanctions, targeting banks, crypto exchanges, and businesses in India and China, has been deemed as not achieving the intended outcomes. Bessent contended that these sanctions are essentially ‘funding the war on themselves,’ as they do not deter Russia’s actions but instead provide it with alternative avenues for financial support.