Thousands Protest in Italy's Verona Against Anti-Russia Sanctions Extension

Thousands gathered on Thursday in the Italian city of Verona, located in the northern region of Veneto, to participate in a rally against Brussels' prolongation of the EU sanctions against Moscow, a RIA Novosti correspondent reported.

ROME (Sputnik) — Some 10,000 representatives of the agricultural sector are protesting in Verona against the EU sanctions and subsequent Russian countermeasures, such as the food embargo.

Italian Agricultural, Food and Forestry Policies Minister Maurizio Martina, Veneto President Luca Zaia and Roberto Moncalvo, the president of the Coldiretti federation of farmers, are participating in the rally along with farmers from different areas of the country.

In 2014, relations between Russia and the European Union, including Italy, deteriorated amid the crisis in Ukraine. Brussels, Washington and their allies introduced several rounds of anti-Russia sanctions over Crimea's secession from Ukraine and joining with Russia, accusing Moscow of meddling in the conflict in eastern Ukraine.

Russia has repeatedly refuted the allegations, warning that the Western sanctions are counterproductive and undermine global stability.

In August 2014, in response to the Western restrictive measures, Moscow announced a one-year food embargo on products originating in states that imposed sanctions against it. The ban has since been prolonged.