Except that what you are describing is not a check, or a balance. If it is bad when the EU does it, then it is bad when Russia does it.
You got it all wrong. Let them both do it. Both EU and Russia has legitimate points and they both wrong sometimes. In case of Baltic states and Poland EU influence is good, in case of Ukraine it is bad, because the vast majority of population are pro-Russian etc. Same about EU-Russian trade disputes.