"I have been to St. Petersburg last week, and I have talked to [Russian President Vladimir] Putin. The position of [European] Commission is clear, the more 'Minsk' [deal implementation], the less sanctions," Juncker said during a joint press conference with Kern.
The Austrian chancellor noted that trade with Russia was of great significance for his country.
"We hope that the situation will get better but we understand perfectly well that this should be done in accordance with norms and in compliance with the Minsk agreements. That is why we support commission's position," Kern said.
Since 2014, the United States and European Union have introduced several rounds of sanctions targeting Russian individuals and key sectors of its economy. The sanctions were initially imposed in response to Crimea rejoining Russia and Western allegations of the country's involvement in the Ukraine crisis.
