Russia urged the EU yesterday to lift sanctions against Moscow and promised to waive its food embargo, but a top EU official rejected such a move as the bloc imposed fresh measures on Ukrainian rebels.

The EU and the US imposed economic sanctions on Russia in late July, targeting the Russian energy, banking and defence sectors to punish Moscow’s support for rebels in eastern Ukraine, the West’s toughest steps yet.

In retaliation, Moscow has banned most Western food imports, worth $9 billion a year.

“We don’t expect anything from our European partners. The only thing we expect is for them to leave the meaningless sanctions spiral and move onto the path of lifting the sanctions and dropping the blacklists,” Russia’s Deputy Foreign Minister, Alexei Meshkov, was quoted as saying by Interfax news agency.

“This, in turn, would allow us to drop our lists.”

You have to take sanctions that produce an effect

The gesture from Moscow came as the EU imposed sanctions on 13 Ukrainians accused of organising rogue elections in eastern Ukraine on November 2, hitting the separatists and their organisations with asset freezes and travel bans.

Jean-Claude Juncker, the new President of the European Commission, said Russia’s annexation of Ukraine’s Crimea region in March left Europe with two options: go to war against Russia or impose economic sanctions.

“If you don’t want a war the only possibility is sanctions... You have to take sanctions that produce an effect,” Juncker told RTL radio in Luxembourg, his home country.

“One has to maintain those sanctions as long as, on the ground, we do not see Russian gestures aimed at pacifying the region,” he said, referring to Ukraine.

Earlier last week, Russian Finance Minister Anton Siluanov said lower oil prices and Western financial sanctions will cost Russia around $130 billion-$140 billion a year, equivalent to around seven per cent of its economy.