EU Sanctions Envoy Briefs Kazakh Journalists on Fifth Visit

2026-03-17 - 14:02

The Astana Times provides news and information from Kazakhstan and around the world. ASTANA – European Union Envoy for Sanctions David O’Sullivan was on his fifth visit to Kazakhstan on March 17 and briefed Kazakh journalists on the progress of the EU’s work to prevent circumvention of sanctions. David O’Sullivan. Photo credit: Assel Satubaldina/ The Astana Times The visit’s schedule featured several important meetings, including with Kazakh authorities. O’Sullivan met with Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of National Economy Serik Zhumangarin, as well as officials from various government agencies. He also held talks at the National Bank responsible for financial matters. On this visit, O’Sullivan also met with ambassadors of European Union member states, as well as representatives from the United Kingdom and the United States, who are involved in implementing sanctions against Russia. He also met, for the first time, with Victor Mayko, Ukraine’s newly appointed ambassador to Kazakhstan. The visit comes as the EU prepares the 20th package of sanctions against Russia. “My business, of course, as you know, is sanctions, which is a bit more complicated than some of the issues I’ve mentioned,” he said, stressing the war has entered its fifth year. “Sanctions are a very important part of the European Union’s support for the people of Ukraine in their struggle to preserve their independence and their sovereignty, and that will continue to be the case as long as this conflict continues.” O’Sullivan, whose latest visit to the country was in January 2025, commended the level of the ongoing dialogue with Kazakhstan. “We discussed a wide range of issues, particularly concerning the battlefield products, but also the issues of the financial system. This has been part of an ongoing discussion. They are very useful discussions. Of course, there are always going to be issues; there’s always more work to be done, but I think we have a good ongoing dialogue with Kazakhstan and we find ways of resolving issues that may arise,” he explained. “I hope that this will be able to continue into the future,” he added. O’Sullivan described Kazakhstan as a “high-priority country” for the EU. “Trade in goods between the EU and Kazakhstan represents nearly 45 billion euros [US$51.8 billion] annually and the EU is Kazakhstan’s first trading partner and the largest provider of foreign direct investment,” the envoy said. “This was a very useful visit that confirmed the generally good cooperation between the EU and Kazakhstan on this difficult issue,” he added. Responding to a question about his engagement with the National Bank of Kazakhstan, he warned that Russian banks may seek to use third countries to establish financial channels to evade sanctions that have cut them off from conducting transactions in the European Union. “So all we have asked is that the Kazakh authorities are very vigilant, that they keep their banks informed about this risk. We are very happy that the compliance of Kazakh banks in general with avoiding getting caught up in sanctioned circumvention is very strong and very high,” he said.