Official: EU ministers have not yet mulled new Russian sanctions

BRUSSELS, Feb 11 (PRIME) -- The E.U. foreign ministers have not discussed new economic sanctions against Russia, but it may become the next step depending on the development of the situation in Ukraine, a high-ranking E.U. official told reporters on Wednesday ahead of the E.U. leaders’ summit on Thursday.

The E.U. foreign affairs council on Monday only discussed the extension of individual sanctions on the blacklist, while the increase of economic pressure, the extension of July and September 2014 sanctions, was not discussed, the official said.

If Russian, Ukrainian, German and French leaders fail to come to an agreement on the Ukrainian problem on Wednesday, the E.U. leaders will discuss the extension of economic restrictions against Moscow. But the summit on Thursday is an informal event, and may lead only to a political recommendation for the Committee of Permanent Representatives in the European Union, the official added.

On Monday, U.S. President Barack Obama said he agreed with German Chancellor Angela Merkel to keep sanctions against Russia if the country does not change its current course over Ukraine. Earlier on Monday, the E.U. foreign affairs council approved sanctions against 19 individuals and nine companies, but postponed their implementation until February 16 in order to give room for our diplomatic efforts.

Removing the sanctions will depend not only on the ceasefire in eastern Ukraine, but on the fulfillment of agreements reached in Minsk.

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