‘Key’ EU Countries to Support Extension of Anti-Russian Sanctions - Tusk

At the same time, there is still "a large group" of states, which call for the lifting of sanctions, chairman of the European Council Donald Tusk said.

Chairman of the European Council Donald Tusk said in an interview with the newspaper Polska The Times that "the key" EU countries such as Germany and France, are going to support the extension of sanctions against Russia during the EU summit in June.

However, he added that a "large group" of European countries are in favor of lifting the sanctions and that "no one talks about strengthening" the restrictive measures.

Earlier, Tusk stated that the EU is planning to maintain sanctions against Russia until the full implementation of the Minsk agreement. He noted that he expects unity among European countries "in response to the possible misconduct of Ukraine's neighbors".

Relations between Russia and the West have deteriorated due to the conflict in Ukraine. The EU and the United States have repeatedly imposed sanctions against certain individuals and companies, which had a negative impact on the economies of both Russia and Europe.