U.S. to include EU in peace deal as sanctions cannot be lifted without it – Bloomberg
19 March 12:17
American officials have informed their European counterparts that the European Union must be involved in any peace agreement on Ukraine, as it will not be possible to lift sanctions against Russia without Europe. This is reported by Komersant ukrainskyi with reference to Bloomberg.
Russia wants the EU sanctions to be lifted as part of such an agreement, according to sources familiar with the matter.
This information may to some extent reassure the allied powers, who fear that the US will try to conclude a deal without the participation of European leaders, which could weaken the security of Ukraine or Europe. Previously, Trump has largely excluded Europe from his talks with Ukraine and Russia.
These fears were heightened on Tuesday when Trump held a phone conversation with Vladimir Putin. During the conversation, Putin rejected Trump’s proposal for a 30-day ceasefire in Ukraine, agreeing only to an end to strikes on energy infrastructure, while demanding a halt to arms and intelligence supplies from the United States and other countries.
“This process is now in full swing, and I hope, for the sake of humanity, we will get it done!”
– Trump wrote in a post on Truth Social.
Ukraine’s partners have been imposing sanctions on Russia since the beginning of the invasion of Ukraine in 2022. The measures hit both individuals close to the Russian government and legal entities. There are also secondary sanctions that are designed to reinforce direct restrictions by penalizing third parties that try to do business with blacklisted individuals.
U.S. officials have repeatedly told their allies that sanctions will remain in place until a deal is reached, and they are ready to increase pressure on the Kremlin if it does not cooperate, particularly in the energy sector.
Earlier, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio hinted at the need to lift European sanctions:
“The European Union has imposed significant sanctions on the Russian Federation and on individuals inside Russia. Therefore, they will need to be consulted and involved in this process and so on.”
After his meeting with Trump last week, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said that relations with Russia should eventually normalize after the end of hostilities in Ukraine, while emphasizing the need to continue to put pressure on Moscow to ensure progress in ceasefire talks.
However, Lithuanian Foreign Minister Kęstutis Budrys said in an interview on Monday that “even considering” restoring relations with Russia at this stage would be “harmful.” According to him, Russia must fulfill a long list of concessions before this can happen, including ending the war, returning the occupied Ukrainian territories, and paying reparations to Ukraine.
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EU sanctions against Russia
The European Union has already imposed 14 sanctions packages against Russia in response to its aggression against Ukraine. The sanctions cover a wide range of measures aimed at weakening the Russian economy and limiting Russia’s ability to wage war.
Key sanctions include freezing the assets of Russian officials, including President Putin, restricting Russia’s access to EU financial markets, a ban on imports of Russian energy (coal, oil), and restrictions on exports of dual-use technologies and goods that could contribute to Russia’s military capabilities.
The EU also imposed sanctions against Russian banks, excluding some of them from the SWIFT system, banned Russian ships and trucks from accessing EU ports and territory, and restricted the activities of Russian media in the Union. In addition, restrictions were imposed on investments in the Russian energy sector and a ban on the export of luxury goods to Russia.
The sanctions also target individuals and organizations involved in the aggression against Ukraine, including politicians, military, businessmen and propagandists. The EU regularly expands its sanctions lists, adding new names and tightening existing restrictions.
The latest sanctions packages are aimed at combating sanctions circumvention, strengthening export and import controls, and restricting Russia’s access to technologies and goods that could be used for military purposes. the 14th package of sanctions for the first time affected Russian gas, but did not hit it. The 14th package also imposed sanctions on Russia’s SWIFT analog.
