Russia has accused European countries of blocking peace efforts in Ukraine by keeping sanctions in force.
Moscow and Kiev agreed on a maritime ceasefire in the Black Sea on Tuesday after talks between US, Russian and Ukrainian negotiators in Riyadh.
But Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that the terms of the deal include the lifting of sanctions on the Russian Agricultural Bank, or Rosselkhoz.
“If the European states do not want to take this path, it means that they do not want to take the path of peace,” Peskov said, according to the state news agency TASS.
Moscow is demanding renewed access to the Swift international financial system for Russia’s state-owned agricultural bank — a move only the European Union can authorize, as the system is headquartered in Belgium.
The sanctions complicate international transactions for Russian grain and fertilizer exports.
However, Brussels has indicated it will maintain the sanctions until Moscow ends its war in Ukraine.
Despite the sanctions, Russia is expecting high total exports of 49.5 million tons of grain for the current year, as reported by the Interfax agency.
Russia and China to discuss Ukraine war at meeting next week
Earlier, the Russian Foreign Ministry said the Russian and Chinese foreign ministers plan to meet next week to discuss the war in Ukraine.
Among other international issues, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and his Chinese counterpart Wang Li will discuss the “prospects for a settlement of the Ukraine crisis,” the ministry said in a statement.
Bilateral issues are also on the agenda for their meeting in Moscow, according to the statement.
China is a close ally of Russia. However, Beijing is critical of the fact that Russia’s war against Ukraine is causing major international upheaval.
A peace plan proposed by the Chinese leadership was rejected by Ukraine because it was close to Russia’s positions.
If the United Nations were to play a role in a settlement, China would have veto power as a member of the UN Security Council.
On Thursday, Russian President Vladimir Putin suggested that Ukraine should be put under UN administration while it holds new elections.
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