Sanctions against Russia may be lifted under certain conditions – Zelensky's commissioner

He said this in an interview with the publication Pitico, as reported by Ukrinform.

Vlasyuk noted that economic measures, embargoes and bans on imports of Russian energy resources “have their own goals, which can push Russia to stop aggression and lead to the conclusion of an agreement on lasting peace,” and do not simply represent “some kind of punishment.”

However, he noted that “it is too early to discuss what kind of sanctions relief should be part of any agreement.”

“What we want to do now is make sure that Russia takes significant steps in this direction first, and then we start discussing lifting sanctions. We've already seen the Russians trying to raise questions about whether these sanctions should be lifted, at least some of them, which gives us a better understanding of which sanctions are the most painful,” Vlasyuk said.

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The Ukrainian official added that as part of any long-term agreement that would provide security guarantees for Ukraine, Kyiv would seek “justice for our people,” likely including “compensation for Ukrainians” given the scale of their losses.

While Moscow remains heavily dependent on fossil fuel production to pay its troops and buy military equipment, the country's energy revenues have been cut by billions of dollars by sanctions and the loss of business with the West.

Against this backdrop, Vlasyuk raised the question of the possibility of new European countries concluding agreements on the purchase of Russian oil and gas if and when the war ends.

“Russia has considerable potential, particularly in the area of energy resources, and it would probably be unwise not to try to exploit it,” he said. “Perhaps not, and certainly not to the same extent – it will certainly never be in a position of being completely dependent on Russian energy of any kind.”

“But if Russia at some point restores more or less normal relations with its partners and neighbors, the most important thing is that I don’t think they should be excluded from competitive markets,” Vlasyuk added.