28 Mar, 15:50

EU not present at Russia-US talks on Ukraine at fault of Brussels — Austrian ex-chancellor

On March 24, representatives of Russia and the United States met in Riyadh to discuss the resumption of the Black Sea initiative

BELGRADE, March 28. /TASS/. The European Union (EU) is absent from the talks between Russia and the United States on the peaceful resolution of the Ukraine conflict because of Brussels' refusal to establish a dialogue with the Russian leadership, former Austrian Federal Chancellor Sebastian Kurz stated.

"The fact that the EU is not at the negotiating table is its own fault because Brussels refuses to talk to [Russian President Vladimir] Putin," Kurz said in an interview with the Kosovo Online news portal.

The former Austrian chancellor described Russia-US talks on resolving the Ukraine conflict as "an initial step toward de-escalation."

On March 24, representatives of Russia and the United States met in Riyadh to discuss the resumption of the Black Sea initiative. The Russian delegation was led by Grigory Karasin, deputy chairman of the Russian Federation Council (the upper house of the Russian parliament) Committee on Foreign Affairs, and Sergey Beseda, advisor to the director of Russia's Federal Security Service. The US delegation included Andrew Peek, senior director for Europe at the US National Security Council, and Michael Anton, director of Policy Planning Staff at the Department of State.

The following day, both the Kremlin and the White House issued statements on the outcome of the consultations. The parties agreed to implement the Black Sea initiative, which includes the need to ensure safe navigation. The US is expected to help restore Russia’s access to the world market for agricultural and fertilizer exports, lower maritime insurance costs and enhance access to ports and payment systems for such transactions.

The Kremlin emphasized in its statement that the Russia-US agreements on the Black Sea will take effect once sanctions on Rosselkhozbank (the Russian Agricultural Bank) and other financial institutions involved in agricultural exports are lifted. Sanctions on Russian food and fertiliser exporters and restrictions on the maintenance of ships in port and on the supply of agricultural machinery to Russia would have to be lifted as well, the Kremlin said. The US statement did not mention these conditions.

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