Russia's sanctions decree and peace talk claims, as of 5 May 2022
A look back at two Russian moves reported in the days before 5 May 2022: a decree on 'unfriendly' entities and a message on negotiations.
What was the state of the diplomatic and economic confrontation over Ukraine on 5 May 2022? Two developments reported in the preceding days gave part of the answer.
On 3 May 2022, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a decree that would allow the Russian government to terminate any business and exports with entities and people it deemed "unfriendly". The decree was part of the sanctions dispute that followed the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
On the same day, Putin told French President Emmanuel Macron that Russia was ready to continue peace negotiations with Ukraine. The statement came amid fears that talks between the two countries had stalled.
Taken together, the two reports showed Moscow pairing a tougher economic measure with an assurance on negotiations, at a time when concern about the state of the talks was already being voiced.
