Tusk says EU to prolong anti-Russian sanctions

BRUSSELS, Dec 15 (PRIME) -- The E.U. leaders have made a political decision to prolong economic sanctions against Russia that were set to expire at the end of January 2018, European Council President Donald Tusk said on his Twitter page late Thursday.

“E.U. united on roll-over of economic sanctions on Russia,” Tusk said.

E.U. representatives said the sanctions will be prolonged without changes for another six months.

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 prohibited food imports from some countries, including the U.S., the E.U., Canada, Australia, and Norway.

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