Several EU Countries Interested in 'Reducing or Lifting' Anti-Russia Sanctions

A number of EU member countries are interested in reducing or lifting of the bloc's anti-Russian sanctions, Russian envoy to the European Union Vladimir Chizhov said on Thursday.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) — The latest round of US anti-Russia sanctions was introduced in December 2016, with Washington claiming that Russia allegedly influenced the US presidential elections, something that Moscow has repeatedly denied.

"There are the countries which are waiting for an occasion or at least are interested in reducing or lifting anti-Russian restrictive measures, and do not hide it. Other countries think the opposite," Chizhov said in an interview with Rossiya 24 television.

He noted that the United States was not likely to reconsider its sanctions policy against Russia despite concerns in Brussels over such a possibility that allegedly emerged after US President Donald Trump assumed office in January.

"The statements coming from Washington do not seem to demonstrate any signs of reconsideration of the sanction policy," Chizhov said.

In 2014, Washington and Brussels imposed a series of sanctions on Russia claiming that Moscow was involved in the internal crisis in Ukraine. Russia has repeatedly refuted the allegations and introduced countermeasures.