Report: EU ambassadors prolong Russian sanctions for 6 months

MOSCOW, Jun 21 (PRIME) -- The permanent representatives of the E.U. countries have agreed to prolong economic sanctions against Russia for six months, until February 2017, Reuters reported Tuesday, citing diplomatic sources.

The decision will be submitted for approval of the E.U. foreign ministers on Friday, Agence France Presse (AFP) reported earlier in June.

Last week, the Council of the E.U. rolled over the sanctions against the accession of Crimea to Russia for 12 months, until June 23, 2017.

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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