US official to mull anti-Russian sanctions extension with EU soon

MOSCOW, Jun 6 (PRIME) -- U.S. Acting Under Secretary for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence Adam Szubin will on Tuesday and Wednesday visit Paris and Berlin to meet with E.U. officials and discuss prolongation of anti-Russian sanctions until the Minsk agreements are fulfilled, the U.S. Treasury Department said in a statement on June 3.

“During his trip, Acting Under Secretary Szubin will meet with senior government officials, including from the Ministries of Foreign Affairs, Finance, Interior, and Economics as well as members of the financial services community. Discussions will focus on the importance of maintaining sanctions pressure on Russia until it fulfills the provisions of the Minsk Agreements,” the statement read.

Szubin “will also discuss implementation of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action as well as continued efforts to combat Iran’s support for terrorism and other destabilizing activity,” the department said.

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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