EU to ask India for help with sanctions against Russia

EU wants to persuade India to help enforce sanctions against RUSSIA during von der Leyen's visit. India has not joined sanctions, Indian companies are on EU and US lists for participating in bypassing them Narendra Modi

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen will call on Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to help enforce sanctions against Russia during a meeting, an EU official told reporters at a briefing, BLOOMBERG reports .

According to him, the EU is interested in strengthening sanctions against Russia, and India could play a role in ending the conflict in Ukraine and ensuring lasting peace.

On February 27-28, a group of EU commissioners led by von der Leyen will visit New Delhi. The official said they will discuss with the Indian side increased market access and New Delhi's high tariffs on European goods, particularly cars and wine , and try to work out a framework for setting the agenda for the India-EU summit scheduled for later this year.

The Indian Foreign Ministry declined to comment to Bloomberg.

Modi said that New Delhi is "on the side of peace" in the conflict. India has not officially joined the sanctions that Western countries are imposing against Russia. The Indian Foreign Ministry called the restrictions "levers" that developed countries use when it is convenient for them.

Indian companies are subject to US and EU restrictions on charges of participating in circumventing sanctions against Russia.

In January, after announcing a massive package of sanctions against the Russian energy sector, the US demanded that India unloadoil from Russia from tankers until February 27. The restrictions then affected, in particular, Gazprom Neft and Surgutneftegaz, more than 180 tankers that Washington considers Russia's "shadow fleet", and others. New Delhi agreed to refuse to unload tankers that are subject to US sanctions , a Bloomberg source said.

The Russian president's press secretary Dmitry Peskov said shortly after the sanctions were imposed that supply routes "cannot be simply cut off": if something is blocked in one place, an alternative route appears in another. He stressed that Moscow would look for options to minimize the impact of the sanctions.

Read RBC on TELEGRAM .