BRUSSELS, November 27. /TASS/: Leaders of 27 European Union’s member-states will take a political decision to extend economic sanctions against Russia that expire on January 31, 2021, for half a year at a summit on December 10-11, a source in a delegation of one of European countries in the EU Council told TASS on Friday.
"The issue of the Minsk talks [on settlement of the Ukrainian conflict] is expected to be briefly touched upon at the summit as leaders will take a political decision to extend sanctions for another six months as no meaningful progress has been reached in their implementation," he said.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Emmanuel Macron are expected to routinely inform the remaining leaders about implementation of the Minsk accords at the summit, the diplomat added. "We do not expect any discussions on the issue as the situation is clear and we do not see any meaningful changes," he said.
In 2014, the European Union slapped sanctions on Russia over the events in Ukraine and Crimea’s reunification with Russia. Since then, these sanctions have been repeatedly extended and prolonged. Talks on the cancellation of visas and a new basic agreement on cooperation were put on hold, some Russian officials were prohibited from visiting EU countries and their assets were frozen. In addition, trading, financial and military restrictions were introduced. In response, Moscow banned food imports from EU states.
