Russian sanctions against the European Union will not be lifted until the full implementation of the Minsk agreements. This was stated by Minister of foreign Affairs of Russia Sergey Lavrov at the Munich security conference, reports “Interfax” on Saturday, February 18.
“We also want the Minsk agreements to be fulfilled, and we are their sanctions will not be off the EU, while the Minsk agreement are not met. It is also necessary to understand,” said the Minister.
“Regarding sanctions, I have already spoken about how in General is illogical and sounds artificially formula: Minsk agreements must be fulfilled by Russia and then the European Union will lift the sanctions”, — he added.
The Minsk agreement is the document agreed at the summit in Minsk in February 2015 leaders of Germany, France, Ukraine and Russia in the format “channel four” to de-escalate the armed conflict in the South-East of Ukraine.
Western countries impose on Moscow responsibility for their implementation, and link it to the lifting of sanctions imposed over the Ukrainian conflict. In particular, the fact that Russia will continue to place the responsibility for arrangement Washington, said earlier on Saturday, Vice-President Mike Pence.
In turn, Moscow reminds that it is one of the guarantors of the Minsk process, and for failure to comply with agreements responsible Kyiv as one of the sides of the confrontation.
A number of countries, including the USA and member States of the European Union, began to introduce restrictive measures against Russia in 2014 and linking them with the entry of the Crimea into the Russian Federation, and then the conflict in the South-East of Ukraine. In response, on 6 August 2014, Moscow imposed an embargo on the import of products from these countries.