Russia claims that EU sanctions contradict the Black Sea Initiative

The Kremlin has accused the European Union of contradicting the Black Sea Initiative with its sanctions policy. This was stated by Russian Presidential Press Secretary Dmitry Peskov at a briefing, Interfax reports.

He commented on the EU’s plans to impose new sanctions and noted that they contradict the terms of the Black Sea Initiative.

“An integral part of the Black Sea Initiative is the lifting of sanctions against our banking institution, which is related to payments for agricultural exports, and if European countries do not want to follow this path, it means that they do not want to follow the path of peace and do not want to contribute and act in unison with the efforts made by Moscow and Washington to enter a peaceful channel,” Peskov said.

He also noted that sanctions against Russia remain an unfulfilled commitment of the EU since the previous grain export agreement.

As a reminder, Ukraine, the United States, and Russia agreed to a truce on the Black Sea during three-day meetings in the Saudi capital of Riyadh. However, the Kremlin believes that a truce at sea is possible only after sanctions are lifted against Rosselkhozbank and other financial institutions involved in international food and fertilizer trade, as well as Russian ships engaged in transportation.

Ukraine strongly opposes the lifting of these sanctions and claims that these issues were not discussed with it during the negotiations. In addition, the lifting of sanctions could lead to the legalization of trade in stolen Ukrainian grain and further finance Russia’s aggression.

Tags: Russia, EU, agricultural products, sanctions, Black Sea grain corridor