BRUSSELS: The European Union said Wednesday that it would not lift or amend its sanctions on Russia before the “unconditional” withdrawal of Moscow’s forces from Ukraine.
Moscow and Kyiv have agreed to the contours of a Black Sea ceasefire following separate talks with US officials in Saudi Arabia, but Russia has said it would enter into force only once the West lifted certain sanctions affecting its agricultural exports.
Russia in particular wants measures lifted on state-owned agricultural lender Rosselkhozbank, which was hit in 2022 by EU sanctions removing it from the SWIFT international bank messaging system.
The “unconditional withdrawal of all Russian military forces from the entire territory of Ukraine would be one of the main preconditions to amend or lift sanctions,” said European Commission spokesperson Anitta Hipper.
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She said that the EU, which was not part of the talks in Saudi Arabia, took “note” of their outcome and that “Russia must now demonstrate genuine political will to end its illegal and unprovoked war of aggression”.
The EU stands “ready to support the upcoming steps, together with Ukraine, the United States and other partners,” Hipper added.
The White House did not mention lifting sanctions in announcing the ceasefire plan, saying only that it would help restore “access to the world market” for Russia’s agricultural and fertiliser exports.
The 27-nation European Union has hit Russia with multiple rounds of sanctions in response to its invasion of its neighbour in 2022.
It has also imposed tariffs on farm imports from Russia and its ally Belarus in a bid to increase financial pressure on Moscow over the Ukraine war.
Brussels has approached punitive action against Russia’s farm and sector with great caution, avoiding moves that could hurt the global cereal market as well as food security in Africa and Asia.
Hipper emphasised that the EU measures were “not targeting trade in agricultural goods, including food, grain and fertilisers, in any way, between Russia and third countries.”
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