EU ties anti-Russian sanctions with Minsk agreements

BRUSSELS, Mar 20 (PRIME) -- The European Council has tied sanctions that the union has imposed on Russia over its role in the Ukrainian crisis with the implementation of the Minsk agreements, said it is ready to impose new restrictions which it will discuss in the next few months, the council said in a statement published late Thursday.

“The European Council agreed that the duration of the restrictive measures against the Russian Federation, adopted on July 31, 2014, and enhanced on September 8, 2014, should be clearly linked to the complete implementation of the Minsk agreements, bearing in mind that this is only foreseen by December 31,” the authority said.

“The necessary decisions will be taken in the coming months. The European Council stands ready to take further measures if necessary.”

The E.U. still does not recognize Crimea’s accession to Russia and will continue the implementation of its “non-recognition policy,” the European Council added.

Earlier in March, the E.U. decided to prolong sanctions imposed on Russia last year until September 15, while the U.S. extended its blacklist of individuals and slapped new sanctions on Russian National Commercial Bank for operating in Crimea and the Eurasian Youth Union for actively recruiting individuals with military and combat experience to fight in Ukraine.

Both the E.U. and the U.S. have repeatedly said that new sanctions may be imposed on Russia if the conflict in Ukraine worsens.

On February 12, negotiators, including Russia and the E.U., agreed in Minsk on a ceasefire in Ukraine from February 15, removal of heavy weapons and amendments to the country’s constitution, which included the country’s decentralization to give a unique legal status to some areas of the self-proclaimed republics in the east.

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