The unwillingness of European countries to lift sanctions against Moscow means that they do not want peace. Russian presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters in response to a question whether such a position of the EU would hinder the renewed grain deal, TASS reported.

“An integral part of the Black Sea initiative is the lifting of sanctions on our banking institution that deals with settlements related to agricultural products. The essence of these restrictions is very clear. And if the European countries do not want to follow this path, it means that they do not want to follow the path of peace, do not want to contribute and act in unison with the efforts that are shown in Moscow and Washington for a peaceful way out,” he said.

Peskov reminded that the provisions of the Black Sea initiative are not new. They were fixed back in the first deal, which was guaranteed by the UN. “The initiative acted, worked. All obligations were fulfilled except for the obligations towards the Russian Federation. They were never fulfilled,” the Kremlin spokesman outlined the problem.

He added that Russia's conditions are well known to everyone. “Nothing new has appeared since then,” he emphasized.