UPDATE: Official: Putin, Hollande abstained from sanctions discussion

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MOSCOW, Nov 27 (PRIME) -- Russian and French presidents Vladimir Putin and Francois Hollande did not discuss cancelling anti-Russian sanctions at a meeting on Thursday, Putin’s press secretary Dmitry Peskov told reporters Friday.

“The issue connected with the sanctions was not brought up. It was not the topic of yesterday’s talks,” Peskov said.

French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius told RTL radio station earlier Friday that Putin and Hollande discussed anti-Russian sanctions and that their abolishment still required fulfillment of the Minsk agreements.

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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