It has become known which three categories of sanctions the Russians want to lift in the first place
11 March 2025 14:56
Sanctions Policy Commissioner Vladyslav Vlasiuk said that Russians are most interested in lifting sanctions against oligarchs close to Vladimir Putin, the oil and gas sector and related financial infrastructure.
He said this during a telethon, "Komersant Ukrainian" reports.
“The issues that have already been raised by the Russians regarding the lifting of sanctions in conversations with the Americans fall into three categories. Category number three is the oil and gas sector. That is, let us sell more oil at a higher price. Sector number two is the financial infrastructure in relation to the oil and gas sector, i.e. the problems they are having with the inability to service payments. The number one position, and this conveys the essence of the Putin regime quite well, is sanctions against oligarchs close to Vladimir Putin. This is what the regime of our enemies is most interested in,” Vlasiuk said.
He also added that the Russian economy is much more globalized than the North Korean or Iranian economies, so it is impossible to expect that the level of economic development, technological sophistication of the economy and life will be maintained if sanctions pressure remains.
“The scenario will be very simple: life in Russia will get worse and worse, and at some point even such a patient people as the Russians will get tired of it,” Vlasyuk predicted.
Reuters recently reported that the U.S. administration is developing a plan to ease sanctions against Russia as President Trump seeks to restore ties with Moscow and end the war in Ukraine.
At the same time, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said that Washington had not discussed easing sanctions against Russia with the EU. He told reporters about this, according to the State Department’s website.
When asked whether the US side had discussed with the Europeans what easing sanctions against Russia, imposed because of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, might look like, Rubio said that the US “has not yet reached that stage.”
“Obviously, the Europeans have their own set of sanctions, and they have to make a decision on what they’re willing to do,” he added.
Rubio noted that the final settlement of the war “should be with the participation of the Europeans through the sanctions they impose.”
He noted that the United States is in close contact with both the United Kingdom and France regarding joint meetings, particularly after the G7 summit in Canada on March 12-14.
The secretary of state also said that the United States opposes language in G7 statements that could harm its efforts to bring Russia and Ukraine to the negotiating table.
“At the end of the day, we can’t sign a communiqué that’s not consistent with our position, which is to bring both sides to the table… We feel that the language of antagonism sometimes makes it difficult to bring the parties to the table, especially since we are the only ones who seem to be able to make those negotiations possible right now,” Rubio said.
He expressed confidence that “we will be able to present a document that is meaningful and unifying without undermining our ability to bring both sides to the table.”
