Report: EU Council postpones final decision on Russian sanctions

MOSCOW, Jun 23 (PRIME) -- Discussion of a draft order to prolong economic sanctions against Russia in the E.U. Council has been postponed because the document has not been authorized by France, Ukrainian news agency Ukrinform reported Thursday, citing a diplomatic source.

The permanent representatives of the E.U. countries agreed to prolong the sanctions for six months on Tuesday. Making a final decision on the prolongation by the Council of the E.U. was preliminarily scheduled for Friday but according to the source, it is not on the agenda for the upcoming meeting.

Three countries have used their right to discuss the sanctions bill in national parliaments, the U.K., Sweden and France, the source said. Whereas in the U.K. and Sweden the discussion is formal, French officials have some doubts regarding the future of the Russian sanctions, he said.

France’s Senate, the parliament’s upper house, approved a resolution calling for easing of the sanctions against Russia earlier in June.

In 2014, relations between Russia and the West deteriorated to their worse since the Cold War 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 limited food imports from some countries, including the U.S., the E.U., Canada, Australia, and Norway.

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