Chizhov announced a two-fold increase in exports from Russia to the EU at the beginning of 2022

Exports from RUSSIA to the European Union doubled in the first quarter of 2022, Russian Permanent Representative to the European Union Vladimir Chizhov said on the air of the Rossiya 24 TV channel during the broadcast of the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF).

“Even after six packages of sanctions, Europe, strange as it may sound, remains our largest trade and economic partner in the current conditions. Our exports to the European Union more than doubled in the first quarter, much to the dismay of our former partners in the European Union,” he said.

Chizhov noted that "the old world", including Europe, will still have to deal with. However, now, the diplomat believes, "the space for dialogue" is closed.

Since the end of February 2022, the European Union has already introduced six sanctions packages against Russia: they affected banking, energy, transport, media and other areas. In addition, dozens of Russian businessmen and politicians fell under personal restrictions. The latest package was agreed on June 3, which includes a ban on the import of oil from Russia by sea and on insurance of sea transportation of Russian oil. The EU also imposed sanctions on the National Settlement Depository (NSD), which is the largest securities depository in Russia, and disconnected three Russian banks from the SWIFT system (in addition to seven more that were previously disconnected).