British lawmaker says anti-Russian sanctions to ease gradually

LONDON, Feb 12 (PRIME) -- Sanctions introduced against Russia will be gradually eased, Sir Edward Leigh, head of the British parliament’s cross-party working group on relations with Russia, told PRIME in an interview on Friday.

Russia will never return Crimea to Ukraine, but sanctions will not stay forever, he said. The Minsk agreements are already reducing tensions.

Both Russia and the West are interested in finding a compromise over eastern Ukraine, Leigh said.

Relations between Russia and the West have deteriorated to their worst since the Cold War in 2014 due to a military conflict in Ukraine. The West introduced sanctions against some Russian individuals and firms and further against the energy and banking sectors. In response, Russia prohibited food imports from some countries, including the U.S., the E.U., Canada, Australia, and Norway.

In mid-2015, the mutual sanctions were prolonged for one year.

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