The European Union is considering the possibility of lifting sanctions against Agricultural Bank of Russia as part of a grain deal and reconnecting the bank to the SWIFT international payment system. newspaper reports “News”He refers to Peter Stano, representative of the EU Foreign Service.
According to him, the European Union duly noted the claims of the Russian Federation regarding the role of this bank in agricultural and food-related transactions and the difficulties arising from its disconnection from SWIFT.
“While this makes transactions more expensive and slower, payments are still possible,” Stano said.
He also noted that any changes to the measures of the European Union must be unanimously adopted by the member states of the European Council, and that the EU measures include an exemption from the sanctions and allow EU operators to transact with Russian banks where restrictions have been imposed. .
Stano added that a sufficient number of payment channels are still open, as most Russian banks, including major financial institutions such as Gazprombank, are not subject to sanctions and are not disconnected from SWIFT.
Former Russian Ambassador to Belarus Boris Gryzlov declarationNegotiations for unblocking exports from Russia as part of a product deal, including connecting Rosselkhozbank to the SWIFT system, are progressing slowly but slowly.