At the EU summit, which will be held on Thursday, December 15, to discuss the issue of extending sanctions against Russia. It is reported TASS citing a senior source in Brussels.
“I think the EU will receive a recommendation from the Chancellor [Angela] Merkel and the French President [Francois] Hollande that the economic sanctions imposed because of Russia’s aggression against Ukraine should be extended,” he explained.
On 13 December the leaders of Germany and France stated the necessity of prolongation of action of restrictive measures against Moscow.
“Sanctions against Russia will be necessary to extend again, although we would like to see more serious progress in the implementation of the Minsk agreements”, — said Merkel.
Hollande, in turn, supported the proposal.
Restrictive measures against certain sectors of the Russian economy, Russia has until January 31, 2017. Russian retaliatory counter-sanctions extended until 31 December of the following year.
A number of countries, including the USA and member States of the European Union have imposed sanctions against Moscow in 2014, linking them with the annexation of Crimea to Russia, and then the conflict in the South-East of Ukraine.
The abolition of these restrictions linked with the implementation of the Moscow Minsk agreements. In February 2015 in Minsk, an agreement was signed on stabilization of the situation in the South-East of Ukraine. Agreement, in particular, called for a cease-fire, withdrawal of heavy weapons from the contact line of the warring parties, and constitutional reform in Ukraine.
Russia has repeatedly said that is not party to the conflict in the Donbass, therefore, the responsibility for implementing the provisions of the Minsk agreements rests on the Kiev authorities and militia leaders.