New Anti-Russian Sanctions Off Table at EU Talks Next Week

EU nations are not going to discuss new sanctions against Russia at an EU foreign ministers’ meeting on December 15, according to a diplomatic source.

BRUSSELS (Sputnik) — EU nations do not plan to discuss additional economic sanctions against Russia at their meeting next week, a source close to Brussels told RIA Novosti on Thursday.

Sanctions against Russia are set to expire in January. The 28-nation bloc is likely to agree to prolong them for another six months at an EU foreign ministers’ meeting on December 15, an EU diplomatic source told RIA Novosti last week.

EU leaders are due to meet in the Belgian capital on December 17-18 to discuss the fight against terrorism, migration and the UK referendum on EU membership, among other issues.

Relations between Russia and the European Union went downhill in 2014, when Brussels joined Washington in accusing Moscow of fueling the Ukrainian crisis and imposed sanctions on Russia’s key economic sectors – energy, defense and banking.