BRUSSELS (Sputnik) — The European Union on Monday extended the economic sanctions against Russia for another six months citing failure to fully implement the Minsk peace accords.
The European Union is due to only extend the sanctions, without changing the parameters of the restrictive measures.
Relations between Russia and the European Union soured dramatically in 2014, when Brussels joined Washington in accusing Moscow of fueling the Ukrainian internal conflict, subsequently imposing several rounds of sanctions as a punitive measure.
Russia has repeatedly denied the allegations, asserting instead its desire for a diplomatic settlement to the conflict and noting its contribution to the Ukrainian peace process.
In February, the leaders of Russia, France, Germany and Ukraine elaborated a set of measures in Belarus' capital of Minsk, aimed at Ukrainian reconciliation.
