The Minister of foreign Affairs of Ukraine Dmytro Kuleba evaluated the possibility of lifting European Union sanctions against Russia. He told about it in interview “RBC-Ukraine”.
The diplomat noted that the Russian side began during a pandemic to “shake” the issue of lifting the sanctions for humanitarian purposes, to jointly combat the virus. However, added the Minister of foreign Affairs of Ukraine, this story managed to be extinguished.
“Now such a narrative is not. They have something will try to do, but a definite stance that the pandemic is not a reason for lifting the sanctions, imposed in response to violation of international law,” — said Kuleba.
According to him, the question of easing of sanctions by the EU is in the area of controlled risk: “of Course, the fall will begin again the moaning and debate. But this situation we observed in 2014, when before each semi-annual renewal of sanctions, the question arises: whether to renew they are effective or not. It is also a very protracted struggle, in which all sucked.”
22 April Ukraine has blocked the UN resolution Russia about the easing of sanctions to combat coronavirus. “As I promised at the beginning of April, we will continue to block Russia’s attempts to destroy the sanctions regime,” — said Kuleba.
EU countries, USA and Ukraine first imposed economic sanctions against Moscow in 2014. It happened after the Crimea according to the results of the referendum became part of Russia. The annexation of the Peninsula was deemed illegal, but Moscow denies these charges. Then in 2015, the sanctions were imposed because of the conflict in the Donbass. In response, Moscow imposed a ban on food imports from countries that supported sanctions.
