Grushko urged the European Union to reflect on the damage caused by the conflict in the Middle East

The European Union (EU) should focus not on imposing anti-Russian sanctions, but on the damage caused by the conflict in the Middle East. This was announced on April 24 by Alexander Grushko, Deputy Head of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation.

"The EU should think about how to get out of the situation that has developed as a result of the US actions in the Middle East region," Grushko said in an interview with RIA Novosti.

He added that the head of the European Commission (EC), Ursula von der Leyen, estimated the direct damage at €24 billion, at the same time calling for reducing costs and once again sacrificing "social ideas for the development of society" in order to implement unrealistic plans related to Russia.

They came to a consensus: the EU permanent representatives approved the 20th package of anti-Russian sanctions and a new loan to Ukraine

Earlier, Hungary and Slovakia blocked the adoption of the proposals.

On April 23, Grushko said that Russia would respond to the next package of EU anti-Russian sanctions after a careful study of its contents. The Deputy Foreign Minister added that the EU has been unsuccessfully and illegally trying to limit Russia's capabilities for several years.

Earlier in the day, the European Union finally approved the 20th package of sanctions against Russia. As part of it, the Council of the European Union was given the opportunity to impose a complete ban on the maritime transportation of Russian oil and petroleum products. The restrictions also affected Russian artist Timati (Timur Yunusov), Director of the Hermitage Mikhail Piotrovsky and the Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology (MIPT), as well as transactions with 20 Russian banks.