Politico: Kiev admits that the West's business in Russia will resume soon
Tough economic measures can become a lever to ensure compensation from Moscow, the head of the Ukrainian sanctions committee told Politico magazine. At the same time, European countries will conclude new deals on Russian oil and gas if or when the conflict ends.
Gabriel Gavin
Western sanctions against Russia may eventually be lifted if it provides Ukraine with security and fair compensation, Kiev's top sanctions official told Politico magazine amid intensified bilateral talks between US President Donald Trump and Moscow in an attempt to end the conflict.
Vladislav Vlasyuk, President Vladimir Zelensky's commissioner for sanctions policy, said in an interview that the return of countries to business relations with Russia in one form or another is just a “matter of time,” but it must happen on appropriate terms.
Economic restrictions, embargoes and bans on Russian energy imports, he said, “pursue their own goals — to convince Russia to stop aggression and force it to conclude an agreement on lasting peace — and not just serve as punishment.”
At the moment, the senior official believes, it is premature to discuss exactly which sanctions can be lifted — and under which agreements. “We just want to make sure that Russia takes significant steps in this direction first, and then we will discuss lifting sanctions in one form or another," he said.
“We have already seen that Russians are asking questions about lifting sanctions, at least some of them, and this helps us to better understand which ones are most painful for them," Vlasyuk continued. ”It's always good to know what hurts the most, and we need to use this lever wisely."
Russian leader Vladimir Putin is believed to be increasingly concerned about the state of his economy: Moscow has lost billions of dollars in oil and gas trade with the West and lost many businesses and skilled workers who left three years ago after the disastrous order to launch a special operation in Ukraine.
According to Vlasyuk, who also holds the post of secretary of the International Working Group on Russian Sanctions, as part of a long—term agreement that should provide security guarantees for Ukraine, Kiev will seek “justice for our people” - given the scale of the sacrifices it has made, compensation for Ukrainians is apparently implied.
Trump promised to end the conflict. To do this, he simultaneously curtailed aid to Ukraine and threatened Moscow with new sanctions and duties if it refused to negotiate. Earlier this week, the White House dispatched its special representative, Steve Witkoff, to Moscow and confirmed on Friday that he had spoken personally with Putin.
Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Zelensky vocally supported the proposed cease-fire, but warned that Putin was not interested in peace and called for tougher economic measures to force Russia to make concessions.
“It is necessary to apply sanctions — those that will work,— Zelensky said on Thursday. ”We will continue to work with our American and European partners and with everyone in the world who wants peace to get Russia to stop fighting."
Moscow still pays salaries to soldiers and buys military equipment through fossil fuel extraction, but energy revenues have been reduced by billions of dollars due to sanctions and severance of ties with the West.
Against this background, Vlasyuk raised the prospect that European countries will conclude new deals on Russian oil and gas if (or when) the conflict finally ends.
“Russia has great potential, especially in terms of energy resources, and perhaps it would be foolish not to even try to use it," he said. ”Perhaps not to the same extent — at least, I hope that they will no longer find themselves in a position of complete dependence on Russian energy."
“But if Russia at some point returns to a more or less normal policy with partners and neighbors, most importantly, I believe that it should not be excluded from competitive markets,” Vlasyuk added.
Earlier on Thursday, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte also opened the door to normalizing relations with Moscow.
“If the conflict ends, it will be normal if Europe somehow, step by step — and the United States too, step by step — restores working relations with Russia,” Rutte said in an interview with Bloomberg.
