US says ready to mull additional sanctions against Russia with EU

WASHINGTON, May 23 (PRIME) -- The U.S. is ready to discuss introduction of additional sanctions against Russia with the E.U., Daniel Fried, coordinator for sanctions policy at the U.S. Department of State, said Monday at a discussion organized by the Atlantic Council in Washington.

The U.S. is ready to study additional measures against Russia, and it discussed the idea with the E.U. Still, Washington is ready to lift sanctions from Moscow if the Minsk agreements are fulfilled, he said.

The E.U.’s Foreign Policy Chief Federica Mogherini said on May 20 that the union is not discussing an extension of anti-Russian sanctions over the political crisis in Ukraine but plans to start talks on a rollover of the existing measures in a few weeks.

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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