UPDATE: Spox: Russia regrets EU decision to prolong sanctions

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MOSCOW, Dec 15 (PRIME) -- Russia regrets the E.U.’s decision to prolong economic sanctions against the country, believing this does not correspond with interests of either of the sides, presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters Friday.

“We still regret, we believe that such decisions do not correspond with interests of E.U. members and Russia. Russia still believes the sanctions are illegal, in fact incorrect, but at the same time we certainly keep our intention to build relations with Brussels, which currently leave much to be desired,” he said.

European Council President Donald Tusk said on his Twitter page late Thursday that E.U. leaders made a political decision to prolong sanctions against Russia that were set to expire at the end of January 2018.

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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