RIGA (Sputnik) — Italy opposes the automatic extension of existing sanctions that expire by the end of July, focusing instead on the role of OSCE observers in east Ukraine, Italian Foreign Minister Paolo Gentiloni said Saturday in Riga.
"Italy's position is that there is a delicate Minsk agreement [and] the main thing is to strengthen the monitoring mission's role by any means. The pressure of sanctions is useful, but there is no need to consider their automatic renewal at the moment," Gentiloni said.
The diplomat added ahead of the EU foreign ministers' second day of informal meetings that renewing anti-Russia sanctions by default will hinder crisis settlement in the region.
