EU won’t lift sanctions on Russia, even if US does - European Commissioner
Photo: Valdis Dombrovskis, European Commissioner for Economic and Productivity, Implementation and Simplification (Getty Images)
European Commissioner for Economy, Productivity, Implementation, and Simplification Valdis Dombrovskis, during a conversation with journalists in Brussels, stated that the European Union does not plan to lift sanctions against Russia, even if the United States decides to do so.
According to the official, Brussels pursues its own sanctions policy, which is not dependent on the decisions of US President Donald Trump’s administration.
"It's very clear from the moves of the current Trump administration that the EU will need to take issues related to EU's security more on its own. It also concerns sanction policy. As you know, the work continues on preparing the 16th sanctions package," he added.
Sanctions against Russia
After the full-scale invasion of Ukraine by the Russian Federation, the international community imposed large-scale sanctions against Russia.
The restrictions include freezing the assets of the Central Bank of Russia held in foreign institutions, disconnecting several Russian banks from the SWIFT international payment system, personal sanctions against Russian politicians, businessmen, and propagandists, halting the import of Russian energy resources and other goods to limit economic ties with the aggressor
Meanwhile, the European Union plans to adopt its 16th package of sanctions by the third anniversary of the full-scale war in Ukraine.
According to media reports, the EU will not ban the purchase of Russian liquefied natural gas (LNG) but is expected to introduce certain restrictions.
