Zakharova expects exacerbation of socio-economic problems in the EU against the backdrop of sanctions

The ninth package of EU anti-Russian sanctions will exacerbate social and economic problems in the bloc itself, whose citizens are already experiencing energy shortages and unprecedented “sanction inflation”, said Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova.

In published comments Zakharova says that the new package of sanctions “does not bring anything fundamentally new to relations with the European Union.”

“The EU leaders are unable to get out of the vicious circle of restrictions and recognize the futility of all anti-Russian sanctions and the policy of pressure on Russia. The current “package” will have the same effect as all the previous ones – the aggravation of socio-economic problems in the EU itself,” the Foreign Ministry believes.

According to Zakharova, the painful consequences of the anti-Russian policy for the EU will grow, this will happen “not without the assistance of the United States, which acts as the main beneficiary of the security crisis on the European continent and the rupture of trade and economic ties between the European Union and Russia.” EU sanctions also harm developing countries in Africa, Asia, Latin America, which are not able to compete with the West in the struggle for resources, the department added.

Zakharova touched on the topic of restrictions against Russian media in Europe, saying such “authoritarian measures” have become “common practice” for Brussels. According to her, such decisions infringe on the right of EU citizens to access information.

The EU has acknowledged that its restrictive measures against the Russian agro-industrial complex undermine global food security, the Foreign Ministry notes, commenting on the possibility, mentioned in the new package of sanctions, of granting individual exceptions from the sanctions regime by the EU member states in the interests of a number of Russian exporters of food and fertilizers.

“If Brussels is serious about food security issues, such steps should not be cosmetic, but comprehensive, and provide for the legal withdrawal from the sanctions package of all restrictive measures that directly or indirectly affect the supply of grain, fertilizers and raw materials for their production,” she said. Zakharov.

The ninth package of sanctions was announced on December 7 by the head of the European Commission (EC), Ursula von der Leyen. She then said that 200 individuals and legal entities from Russia would fall under the restrictions. We are talking about the Russian military, defense industry enterprises, State Duma deputies and senators, ministers, governors and political parties. During the discussion of new restrictions, the EU countries several times could not agree on them.

EU on Friday published the ninth package of sanctions against Russia. The document includes 692 pages, which list individuals and businesses that have been sanctioned. The EU Council did not take restrictive measures on the export of Russian grain and fertilizers. At the same time, the bloc introduced an exemption that would allow the unfreezing of assets and the transfer of funds “to the disposal of certain persons who previously played a significant role in international trade in agricultural and food products, including wheat and fertilizers.” This measure was agreed to maintain food security and avoid disruptions in payments for agricultural products, the EU authorities explained.