“There are some things we can solve, there are certain things we can help to solve, but some of those issues have to be dealt with directly between capitals,” Azevedo told an audience at the National Press Club in Washington, DC on Friday.
In 2014, Moscow filed a complaint at the WTO regarding the impact of EU sanctions that Russia argued were in violation of the trade body’s rules. EU officials have since complained to the WTO that Russian import tariffs on some European agricultural goods were excessively high.
“I myself, more than once, personally talked to leaders of delegations of those countries to try to figure out whether we can handle this in a way that is not too attritious,” Azevedo recalled.
Over the past two years, the European Union and the United States have imposed several rounds of sanctions on Russia over its alleged involvement in the Ukraine conflict. Moscow has denied such accusations, warning that Western sanctions are counterproductive and undermine global stability.
Russia joined the WTO, which is based in Geneva, Switzerland, in 2012.
