The political scientist allowed pressure on the EU regarding the lifting of sanctions against the Russian Federation

The United States will interfere in relations between Russia and the European Union (EU) — in particular, Washington may put pressure on Brussels to achieve the lifting of sanctions against Moscow. Natalia Eliseeva, a political scientist, political strategist and publicist, told Izvestia on March 28.

Earlier in the day, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that an integral part of the Black Sea Initiative is the lifting of EU sanctions against Rosselkhoznadzor. The unwillingness of European countries to lift restrictions from Moscow means that they do not want peace, he stressed.

"Russia puts forward absolutely specific conditions. Moreover, these conditions are acceptable. <...> And thus Russia is also testing Europe's willingness to soften its policy. Moreover, it is checking its readiness to resume relations with Russia, as well as, of course, its readiness to overcome the Ukrainian crisis," she stressed.

According to the political scientist, the Russian Federation voiced these demands at the talks in Riyadh on March 24 and is currently monitoring the response from the Americans and Europeans.

"Of course, the United States will somehow interfere in relations between Russia and the EU, because they have now assumed the role of a state that is more or less ready to sit down at the negotiating table and interact with Russia," the expert concluded.

She noted that, given the previous attacks of the new American administration on the EU, the United States is likely to put pressure on the union on the issue of European sanctions necessary for the implementation of the Black Sea Initiative.

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Following consultations between expert groups of the Russian Federation and the United States in Riyadh on March 24, the parties discussed the implementation of the Black Sea Initiative. It consists of two parts: to ensure the safety of navigation in the Black Sea and the exclusion of the use of commercial vessels for military purposes, as well as the lifting of anti-Russian sanctions that impede trade.

Grigory Karasin, a participant in the negotiations and Chairman of the Federation Council's International Affairs Committee, called the meeting constructive. He added that in Riyadh, they discussed, in particular, the access of the Russian Federation to ports for the export of agricultural products, as well as the connection of the Rosselkhoznadzor to the SWIFT payment system, but no specific dates were specified.

Peskov said that Moscow and Washington do not yet have exact dates for new bilateral contacts. At the same time, he stressed that the dialogue between the Russian Federation and the United States will definitely continue.