Russia Warns New EU Sanctions Against Moscow Will Add to Europe's Woes

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - The ninth package of sanctions imposed by the European Union against Russia this week will only add to the EU’s social and economic woes, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said Saturday.

"EU leaders are unable to break the vicious circle of restrictions and admit that all anti-Russia sanctions and the policy of pressure have failed. The new package will have the same effect as the previous ones: It will exacerbate social and economic problems in the EU itself," Zakharova said in a statement.

She said the EU’s unreasonable behavior had led to energy shortages and rampant inflation across Europe and risked subverting its industrial progress. The spokeswoman called the United States the key beneficiary of European sanctions against Russia and argued that emerging economies in Africa, Asia and Latin America had suffered disproportionately.

Russia has repeatedly called on the EU to avoid measures that curbed Russian food and fertilizer exports. Zakharova said Brussels should take "comprehensive rather than cosmetic steps to allow for legal exclusion from the sanctions package of restrictions that affect the supply of grain, fertilizers and commodities either directly or indirectly."

An employee on the territory of the Almaz Fertilizers LLC plant for the production of water-soluble and granular fertilizers in the city of Lermontov, Stavropol Territory.

© Sputnik / Denis Abramov

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The EU, together with Britain and the US, sanctioned Russia after Moscow launched its special operation in Ukraine in February. In December, the EU also joined the G7 decision to set a price cap on Russian oil at $60 per barrel, and rolled out its ninths sanctions package against Russia.

The restrictions disrupted supply chains worldwide and exacerbated ongoing energy market issues, which led to skyrocketing oil prices. The result of the sanctions was an energy crisis in Europe, soaring cost-of-living and record-high inflation, while the industry of the bloc was also put at risk.