European Prominents Call for Lifting of Russia Sanctions

PRESS RELEASE

European Prominents Call for Lifting of Russia Sanctions

Jan. 26, 2017 (EIRNS)—Former European Union Commission President Romano Prodi called for lifting EU sanctions against Russia before the Trump Administration lifts the U.S. sanctions, so that Europe can occupy its position as the preferred partner for the Russians again, a position undermined by the sanctions regime. Prodi said this in an interview with the Italian La Stampa daily.

Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto said in Budapest yesterday that his country’s economy has lost €6.5 billion in trade with Russia during the past three years, mostly in the agriculture exports which were hard hit by the Russian countermeasures to the EU sanctions. Measured against the €90 billion of total exports of Hungary, €6.5 billion are a substantial loss, he explained, urging sanctions be lifted at the next EU Summit in March.

Matthias Platzeck, chairman of the German-Russian Forum, said at an event of the Forum in Moscow that in the wake of Trump’s stated intent to improve U.S. relations to Russia, the European sanctions no longer made sense and should be lifted.