Western sanctions against Russia are taking a long time to impact the country’s war economy, Latvia’s defense Minister Andris Sprūds told  Euractiv  just days before the EU prepares to adopt its twentieth package of trade measures against Moscow. Ever since Russia launched its invasion of Ukraine nearly four years ago, successive waves of EU sanctions have aimed to put pressure on Russia’s economy, but Sprūds notes it’s not inflicting enough damage to force Moscow to abandon its military