Germany says lifting sanctions on Russia will not be possible anytime soon
Germany has no plans of lifting sanctions against Russia in the near future, as stated by the German Commissioner for Cooperation with Russia, Gernot Erler, reports Deutsche Welle.
The situation in eastern Ukraine is being taken into consideration in Germany. According to Erler, violations of the truce and ceasefire agreement are recorded almost every day during the last few weeks. All this led to numerous casualties on both sides, said Erler.
It is also reported that all 28 EU member countries are ready to discuss the lifting of sanctions only after the complete implementation of the Minsk Agreements.
The economic sanctions were imposed on the Russian Federation in the summer of 2014 due to the annexation of Crimea and the military conflict in the Donbas. As a result, the Minsk Agreements were concluded in 2015, which provided for a cease-fire. Based on the provisions of the agreement, the weapons must be withdrawn and constitutional reforms should be initiated.
In July, the EU officially extended sanctions against Russia.