Seventh package of sanctions: the EU risks running into a counter strike
The European Union does not intend to compromise with Russia until it stops its special operation in Ukraine.
This, the PolitNavigator correspondent reports, is stated in the response of the European Commission received by Izvestia.
The publication asked whether Brussels considers it possible to conduct a direct dialogue with Moscow on the conflict in Ukraine and how the EU evaluates the statement of the senior assistant to the Hungarian Prime Minister Balazs Orbán, who called for abandoning further sanctions against Russia and starting negotiations with it.
“We support all sincere and meaningful efforts that are aimed at ending this conflict,” the European Commission responded.
But at the same time they added that Russia must “immediately and unconditionally withdraw all its troops and weapons from the territory of Ukraine.”
It is also noted that the decision on the terms of the ceasefire must be made by Kyiv.
“The European Union is ready to support Ukraine in its efforts,” the European Commission emphasized.
At the same time, the representative of the European Commission, Daniel Ferri, refused to answer the question whether a seventh package of anti-Russian sanctions is planned.
“As you know, we do not comment on sanctions that may be introduced. We have already adopted six large-scale packages of unprecedented sanctions against Russia - they are extensive and cover a wide range of areas. This is a flexible mechanism - sanctions can always be increased,” Ferri said.
In turn, the program director of the Russian International Affairs Council and the Valdai Club, Ivan Timofeev, notes that technically the European Union can introduce sanctions further, including further Russian businessmen or officials, and expand the lists of blocked banks.
“But if we talk about qualitative steps, they have certain limits related to the damage that the European Union itself will suffer. The sanctions already imposed are serious, and the blow from them will be strong.
Further expansion is possible, but here the EU risks facing a counter blow - if we talk about strategic sectors, now the EU cannot afford to ban supplies from the Russian Federation,” Timofeev emphasized.
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