MOSCOW, October 24. /TASS/. Western countries may temporarily ease sanctions against Russia in their own interests, but they are unlikely to completely abandon them, Federation Council Vice Speaker Konstantin Kosachev said in an interview with TASS.
But Moscow should not worry, because it has proven its self-sufficiency.
"It can be assumed that we will live to see the moment when sanctions are lifted legally, but, in my view, their inclusion in US legislation and in the relevant directives of the European Union is, if not an eternal phenomenon, then at least an extremely long·term one, because lifting sanctions requires consensus — a convincing majority, in case of US Congress, or consensus, unanimity, in case of the European Union," the senator said.
According to Kosachev, temporary exceptions to the sanctions regime are possible thanks to the interests of the Western countries.
"My prediction is that the sanctions regime will be eased over time, because maintaining it at its current maximum level clearly runs counter to the interests of those who came up with and are using these sanctions," he explained.
However, the parliamentarian continued, the Westerners will certainly retain the ability to reinstate the sanctions at any time if "Russia behaves, in their view, in a way they do not like."
"I am convinced that this is not the issue we should be focusing on, because over these decades -- if we look at the period starting from 2008, when sanctions related to the Georgian issue first appeared -- we have proven that Russia cannot be isolated, that Russia cannot be broken even by the most severe sanctions, and that we are able to maintain our self·sufficiency and our ability to develop regardless of what is happening around us," the senator believes.
He added that the maintenance or lifting of anti-Russian sanctions in one form or another is "a headache for those who imposed these sanctions," not for Russia.
Sanctions and Russian diesel fuel
The White House is exempting Russian diesel fuel supplies to global markets from sanctions until April 7. On October 9, Russian President Vladimir Putin and US President Donald Trump discussed over the phone the supply of petroleum products. Later, the Russian president confirmed Moscow’s readiness to supply oil and oil products to the American and global markets. Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak previously told TASS that Russia is beginning to lift the ban on diesel fuel exports early and is ready to supply 100,000 tons of diesel in October, 500,000 tons in November, and 1 million tons in December, with the potential to increase this volume to 3 million tons per month.