BRUSSELS (Reuters) – Austria has given the green light to a 12th package of European Union sanctions against Russia after Raiffeisen Bank International was removed from a Ukraine blacklist, the Ukrainian government said on Saturday and a European diplomat.
Austria was pushing for the bank to be removed from a Ukrainian list aimed at singling out companies doing business with Russia and supporting the war effort, for example by paying taxes.
“Austria’s reservations are lifted,” said a European diplomat.
The blacklist has no legal value, but a symbolic weight for Raiffeisen. The Austrian bank has declared its readiness to leave Russia, without this being translated into action.
“The status is suspended for the duration of bilateral consultations involving representatives of the European Commission,” we can read on the Ukrainian government website regarding Raiffeisen’s status.
Austria demanded Raiffeisen’s removal from the blacklist in exchange for its approval of the latest EU sanctions package against Russia.
(Reporting Julia Payne; Elizabeth Pineau)
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