Moscow – Saba:
Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Grushko said on Friday that the declining trade volume between Russia and the European Union (EU) could drop to "zero."
During a meeting with students and professors at Altai State University, Grushko stated: "If our trade volume with the EU was at its peak of $417 billion in 2013, then dropped to $60 billion last year, this year, I believe, it will be around $40 billion—and it is quite possible it could decline to zero."
He noted that the EU is using economic coercion as part of a hybrid war against Russia, having already imposed nearly 19,000 sanctions, according to Sputnik news agency.
Grushko explained that the EU would "completely reject Russian gas, oil, and nuclear fuel for nuclear power plants that still exist in Europe, built either by the Soviet Union or the Russian Federation."
Earlier on Friday, the Council of the European Union approved the 18th package of sanctions against Russia, targeting 14 individuals and 41 legal entities.
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