The European Union has declined to lift its agricultural sanctions against Russia, effectively blocking a proposed ceasefire in the Black Sea region. The 12-hour negotiations in Saudi Arabia earlier this week had resulted in a tentative agreement between Moscow and Washington for a ceasefire to take effect once the sanctions, including those targeting Russian banks and ships, were lifted.
A European Commission spokesperson stated on Wednesday that the end of unprovoked and unjustified Russian aggression in Ukraine, as well as the unconditional withdrawal of all Russian forces from the entire territory of Ukraine, would be a precondition for changing or lifting the sanctions. This effectively rejects the Black Sea ceasefire agreed upon by Russia and the US.
According to a report by the Tagesschau on Wednesday, the German government also does not see any European efforts to lift or partially lift the EU’s sanctions against Russia at the present time. In response to Russia’s demand that it regain access to the international payment system SWIFT before a ceasefire for the Black Sea, the government spokesperson, Steffen Hebestreit, emphasized that the EU had excluded Russian banks from SWIFT “following the invasion of Ukraine.” The Tagesschau quoted him as saying, “If that were to change, it would first need to be discussed and decided upon by the circle of European state and government leaders. And I don’t see such an initiative at the present time.