UPDATE: Mogherini: No barriers to prolong anti-Russian sanctions

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BRUSSELS, Dec 14 (PRIME) -- There are no serious difficulties on the way to prolong the E.U. anti-Russian economic sanctions, E.U. foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini told reporters Monday.

The sanctions issue will probably be considered at a meeting of the European Council scheduled for Thursday and Friday, she said.

Last week, Italy blocked a decision of the Committee of Permanent Representatives in the E.U. to approve a draft ruling to prolong the anti-Moscow measures for six more months after the expiration of the current program on December 31, 2016.

Italy’s Foreign Minister Paolo Gentiloni said Monday that a discussion regarding the Russian sanctions must be held, dismissing an earlier offered automatic prolongation, but he also said he hopes that the countries will make a unanimous decision.

“No one is for or against the sanctions. We all said that a decision on sanctions prolongation must be made in accordance with the evaluation of the Minsk protocol implementation. I think that the European Council will make it. I am sure that we will see a common decision,” Gentiloni said.

A source close to the E.U. authorities told PRIME late December 11 that the European authorities had completed the draft ruling.

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