The European Union continues to consider sanctions against Russia as one of the key tools of pressure, and the possible relaxation of such restrictions is allowed only on the condition of achieving sustainable peace between Ukraine and the Russian Federation. About this stated the chief representative of the EU on sanctions, David O’Sullivan, in an interview with Bloomberg TV.
O’Sullivan, commenting on Russia’s demands for the lifting of sanctions as a prerequisite for a ceasefire in the Black Sea, noted that relevant consultations with the US have not yet been held.
“The European Union believes that this is a very important lever of pressure in any negotiations with Russia, and it should be used, but used wisely and slowly, and only in the context of reaching a solution that will be a strong and sustainable peace.” – he emphasized.
We will remind that Ukrainian and Russian delegations held separate negotiations with the participation of US representatives in Saudi Arabia. As a result, an agreement was reached on the cessation of attacks on ships and ports in the waters of the Black Sea – a mutual “sea truce”, which Ukraine agreed to support.
For its part, Russia has put forward a number of conditions, including restoring access to the SWIFT system for one of its leading state-owned banks. However, without prior demands, the Kremlin has so far agreed only to the so-called “energy truce”, which has been in effect since March 25, but has already been repeatedly violated by the Russian Federation.
