The European Union has publicly condemned Russia for its involvement in the Syrian conflict, but it has yet to decide whether to match its charges with punitive sanctions. On Oct. 17, EU foreign ministers blamed the Syrian government and its allies, "notably Russia," for conducting disproportionate aerial bombing against civilian targets that "may be classified as war crimes." The ministers also deplored Russia's Oct. 8 decision to veto a resolution put before the U.N. Security Council to end the hostilities and allow aid organizations to send humanitarian relief to Aleppo. They then called on Moscow to make a visible effort to halt the violence in Syria.

Despite its fiery rhetoric, the European Union has not yet made a decision on whether to slap sanctions on Russia for its part in the conflict. In order for new sanctions to be approved, all of the bloc's members would have to agree to them — a level of consensus that may be difficult to achieve given how controversial the idea of additional sanctions has been among EU states. Countries such as Italy, Austria, Hungary, Slovakia, Greece and Cyprus would prefer to take steps toward lifting the sanctions the European Union has put in place in response to the Ukrainian conflict. Meanwhile, the United Kingdom has said some Russian officials could be targeted with new sanctions because of their involvement in airstrikes in Syria.

Even Germany, the bloc's political and economic leader, is divided on the issue. According to German media, Chancellor Angela Merkel is weighing the idea of new sanctions, particularly against Russia's defense and aviation ministries, in spite of Foreign Affairs Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier's objections. (Steinmeier has argued that a peace settlement is more likely than sanctions to improve the Syrian people's circumstances.)

The divisions within and among EU members will not be easy to overcome, but the bloc plans to discuss its relationship with Russia again in a European Council meeting on Oct. 20-21. It may also decide whether to keep its sanctions against Russia over the Ukrainian crisis in place. Should the European Union choose not to pursue new measures against Moscow for its actions in Syria, it could make the continuation of Ukrainian sanctions easier for more conciliatory members to swallow.