PARIS (Sputnik) – French President Francois Hollande told Russian President Vladimir Putin during his visit to Moscow that the European Union could lift sanctions against Russia but this would depend on the fulfilling of the Minsk agreements, French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius said Friday.
“This issue was discussed just a bit yesterday. Sanctions will be lifted when the Minsk agreements are given life. Our current goal now is holding elections [in Ukraine] in March,” Fabius said on France’s RTL radio station.
The European Union and the United States imposed a series of sanctions against Russia beginning in 2014, accusing Moscow of interference in Ukraine's internal affairs.
Russia has repeatedly denied the allegations, desiring a diplomatic settlement for the conflict and contributing to the Ukrainian peace process.
In February, the leaders of Russia, France, Germany and Ukraine elaborated a set of measures in the Belarusian capital of Minsk, aimed at Ukrainian reconciliation. The deal was signed by Kiev and Donbass independence supporters. The measures include a ceasefire, weaponry withdrawal from contact line and constitutional changes.
Implementation of the February Minsk accords on Ukraine by the warring sides has become a precondition for the easing or lifting of a series of Western sanctions against Russia.
