President

The President discussed with Michael McFol the activities of the International Working Group on Sanctions against

President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky met with the Director of the Institute for International Studies Friman (FSI), Ambassador Michael McFol, who, together with the head of the office of the Head of State Andriy Yermak, heads the International Working Group on sanctions against Russia.

The meeting was also attended by: Presidential Office Head Andriy Yermak, Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council Alexey Danilov, First Vice Prime Minister-Economy Minister Yulia Sviridenko, Deputy Head of the President School of Economics Timothy Milovanov, advisers to the head of the Presidential Office Darius Zarivna, Vladislav Vlasyuk and Sergey Leshchenko. Experts from the International Working Group joined the videoconference mode.

The head of state thanked Michael McFol and the entire team of the working group, which demonstrates real work in the field of sanction policy on the aggressor country. “The result is 15 important documents made by the International Working Group. I want to thank all our partners who use these work, because it is very important. During meetings, partners around the world say that they are doing their best to impose new sanctions on Russia that you have offered, ”Volodymyr Zelenskyy said.

The President noted the importance of systematic work with partner countries in order to implement the work of the International Working Group. The head of state emphasized the strengthening of sanctions on the energy sector of Russia, as well as the inadmissibility of supplying to the aggressor country components and spare parts used for the production of missiles and drones.

The President noted that Russia directs this weapon, in particular, against the objects of energy infrastructure of Ukraine, so this issue is of particular importance on the eve of the autumn and winter period. In addition, it is important to strengthen sanctions on the financial and banking sectors of Russia. Volodymyr Zelensky called on the International Working Group to continue their activities to increase sanction pressure on Russia in various fields together with foreign partners.

For his part, Michael McFol noted the importance of depriving the Russian regime that is spent on conducting an aggressive war against Ukraine. In particular, he emphasized that blocked assets of Russia could in no way be returned to the aggressor state, but should be aimed at the restoration of Ukraine. The ambassador stressed that every Russian company and an individual who works in the aggressor country should feel the consequences of the sanctions imposed.

“We have some results we have managed to achieve. But we must continue our work, ”Michael McFol emphasized. Presidential Office Head Andriy Yermak emphasized that the International Working Group became a generator and a key platform for the preparation of sanctions against Russia. He noted that thanks to the work of the group, an embargo on cheese oil and petroleum products, a Price CAP mechanism for oil, immobilized more than $ 300 billion.

The assets of the Central Bank of Russia, as well as sanctions against Russian propagandists and prohibited the activities of Russian -speaking media in a number of EU countries. According to Andriy Yermak, the International Working Group is now working on such important areas as the imposition of sanctions against Rosatoma, the restriction in the field of software, the introduction of further energy sanctions, as well as effective restrictions on the stopping of microelectronics into Russia.

“Thus, we respond very quickly to the calls of our military to counteract the extension of the Russian MIC of drones and missiles. In general, this set of measures is aimed at further limiting the country-aggressor to access to technology, ”said the Presidential Office Head.

The Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council Alexei Danilov noted that since the beginning of full-scale aggression of the NSDC, it has imposed sanctions against 7010 individuals and 5028 legal entities, including representatives of Russia and other countries working with the aggressor country. In addition, changes to the sanction legislation, which introduced electronic sanctions, were approved.

The First Vice Prime Minister-Minister of Economy Yulia Sviridenko emphasized the importance of strengthening the export control of the goods that are supplied to Russia, as well as preventing access to the aggressor country to high-tech components. Advisers of the head of the Presidential Office Darius Zarivna and Vladislav Vlasyuk informed how the International Sanction Group created a system of development, advocacy and implementation of international sanctions.

From the beginning, the idea was to turn the group into an analytical component into a kind of complex media, where each expert is also a separate channel of customized communication. As a result, an ecosystem was created to discuss and promote them at the levels of governments, expert communities, and broader auditors of different countries to the analytical products of the group.

This made it possible to improve the process of taking into account the proposals of the International Group of Yermak-Macfola by the governments of partner states.