European leaders rejected the easing of sanctions against Russia at a meeting held in Paris. The meeting was attended by UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, as well as representatives of the European Union.
United Kingdom: "Now is not the time to lift sanctions"
UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer emphasized that it is still too early to talk about lifting restrictions on Russia.
"On the contrary, we discussed how to strengthen sanctions to force Russia to come to the negotiating table, supporting the US initiative," he said.
Ukraine pleased with the decision not to lift sanctions
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who participated in the meeting, also expressed satisfaction with the position of European countries. He emphasized the need to strengthen sanctions against Russia and stated that he supports "increasing pressure".
Negotiations in the Black Sea and Russia's demands
As a result of negotiations between the US and Ukraine held in Saudi Arabia, the parties agreed on a ceasefire in the Black Sea. In response, Russia stated that the easing of sanctions is a condition. The Russian side is demanding the removal of sanctions on agricultural product exporters, as well as the connection of "Rosselkhozbank" to the SWIFT system.
However, the European Union rejected Russia's demands. According to European Commission spokesperson Anitta Hipper, restrictions on "Rosselkhozbank" will not be lifted.
US offered Russia a proposal for negotiations
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio confirmed on March 26 that sanctions were proposed to be eased in exchange for Russia stopping fire at sea. According to him, Washington intends to negotiate with Russia and the European Union on this matter.
At the same time, the European Union is not seriously considering lifting or easing sanctions. This means that economic pressure on Russia may remain for a long time
