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High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Kaja Kallas, stated she sees no grounds for lifting sanctions against Russia.
In an interview with AFP, Kallas emphasized the necessity of sanctions for the EU, saying, “This is our leverage, and it would be very strange to give it up.”
“Nothing has changed. [Vladimir] Putin has not altered his goals, and the situation on the battlefield remains the same. Therefore, there are no grounds for lifting the sanctions,” the EU’s top diplomat added.
She explained that prematurely lifting sanctions would “leave us in a much weaker position.”
“I also don’t think it is in the United States’ interest to abandon sanctions right now,” Kallas noted.
Earlier on Friday, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán expressed opposition to extending EU sanctions without first consulting the team of future U.S. President Donald Trump.
This week, reports emerged that the European Union is planning new sanctions against Russia while bypassing potential vetoes from Hungary and Slovakia.
Additionally, the EU is working on supplementary measures, including invoking an 81-year-old law involving the Belgian king, to protect sanctions against Russia after Hungary threatened to veto their renewal.
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