Reuters finds out who is pushing Ukraine to close the list of “international sponsors of war”
22 March 2024 18:04
Ukraine may close its list of “international sponsors of war” due to the negative reaction from countries such as China and France. This was reported by Reuters, citing its own sources, Komersant ukrainskyi 
reported
It is noted that from now on, Ukraine may close not only the list but also a related website that provides detailed information about people under Western sanctions, companies and the origin of Russian weapons parts.
“The blacklist has no legal basis, but it has become an obstacle for about 50 large companies that have been operating in Russia and helping the Kremlin in the war in Ukraine, for example, by paying taxes,”
– the statement said.
The closure of the site, according to Reuters, will indicate how Kyiv may have to soften its stance.
“It’s China, but not just China,” the source said, alluding to pressure from France to remove Auchan and Leroy Merlin from the list.
Beijing, which is a major consumer of Ukrainian grain, demanded in February that Kyiv remove 14 Chinese companies from the list to “eliminate negative influence”. Although China is seen as an ally of Russia, Kyiv has said it hopes the world’s second largest economy will attend a summit of world leaders this spring to promote President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s vision of peace.
A second source said that Austria, China, France and Hungary had pressured Kyiv over the list, adding that it could be removed from the internet within days.
Yet another source explained that all of the countries mentioned were unhappy that their companies were included in the list, even though they support Ukraine.
The foreign ministries of the four countries did not immediately respond to requests for comment or declined them, and all sources wished to remain anonymous due to the sensitivity of the issue.
The decision to close the list was made at an expanded meeting of the Cabinet of Ministers, which was attended by NSDC Secretary Oleksiy Danilov, SBU Head Vasyl Malyuk, Prosecutor General Andriy Kostin, NAPC Head Viktor Pavlushchyk, ambassadors of Italy, Japan, Austria, France, Hungary, Turkey, chargés d’affaires of the US, Belgium, Finland, Greece and the EU Delegation to Ukraine. Representatives of the embassies of the United Kingdom and Northern Ireland, Canada, Germany and China were also present.
The meeting heard information from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs about numerous appeals from representatives of the diplomatic corps of partner countries regarding the lack of a regulatory framework for the existence of a list of “International Sponsors of War”. And, accordingly, the negative impact of this list on the adoption of important decisions to counter Russian aggression.
In addition, the Ministry of Justice emphasised the inadmissibility of disseminating such information on behalf of the state without regulating the issues at the legislative level.
Earlier, China warned Ukraine that their bilateral relations could deteriorate due to Kyiv’s inclusion of more than a dozen Chinese companies in the list of “international sponsors of war“.
At the moment, the list of international “war sponsors”, according to the National Agency for the Prevention of Corruption (NAPC), includes 48 companies . China has the most representatives – 14 companies – followed by the United States (8), France and Germany (4 each).
