For wheat export and aviation
EU relaxes some Russia sanctions again
7/22/2022 1:22 p.m
Millions of tons of wheat are blocked not only in Ukraine, exports from Russia are also weakening. To avert a food crisis, the EU is now partially easing sanctions against the Kremlin. The maintenance of Russian aircraft is allowed again – that causes criticism.
The European Union has eased sanctions on Russian state-owned companies trading in wheat. As part of a new package of sanctions, the exemption for the export of agricultural products will be extended, comes from a statement. “The EU is doing its part to ensure that we can overcome the looming global food crisis,” it says.
Since the Russian attack on Ukraine, the price of wheat has risen massively. Before the invasion, both countries were jointly responsible for 30 percent of the world’s wheat shipments. Between 20 and 25 million tons of grain are currently stuck in Ukraine. African countries in particular are therefore warning of famines. However, Russia and Ukraine have signed an agreement that should allow the export of agricultural goods again.
But exports from Russia have also fallen significantly since the beginning of the war. The EU has repeatedly accused Russia of using hunger as a weapon. Moscow, on the other hand, blamed EU sanctions for problems with its own exports. According to the statement, the EU wants to avoid “possible consequences for global food and energy security” with the new easing. For this reason, the transport of Russian oil to third countries is also made easier.
In addition, the EU is relaxing its sanctions against aviation. The maintenance of aviation technology will be allowed again, the paper says. The largest Russian airline Aeroflot should also benefit from this. Because the EU had previously banned maintenance, many Russian machines lost their insurance cover and could no longer take off. Russian airlines almost exclusively use aircraft from western manufacturers Boeing and Airbus.
Military expert Carlo Masala has sharply criticized the partial lifting of sanctions against aviation. “I don’t understand why we don’t ground Aeroflot [niedergehen] “Let’s go,” he writes on Twitter. “The sanctions work and then we take some of them back.”