Russia Has No Intention of Asking EU for Sanctions Relief

Moscow will not ask the European Union to lift anti-Russian sanctions, the country's deputy prime minister, Sergei Prikhodko, told reporters in Athens on Saturday.

ATHENS (Sputnik) — He added that Russia should continue cooperation with the countries interested in partnership, for example with Greece.

"The reality is that the effect of any sanctions is ephemeral and in majority of cases they have negative consequences for their initiators. We will not call on anyone with requests to lift the sanctions. This is the issue of our [European] partners' political will and political maturity," Prikhodko said.

Relations between Russia and European Union went downhill in 2014, following Brussels' decision to join Washington in accusing Moscow of fueling the Ukrainian crisis and to impose several rounds of sanctions against the country.

The Russian authorities have repeatedly refuted the allegations, warning that the Western sanctions are counterproductive. In response to the Western restrictive measures, in August 2014, Russia announced a one-year food embargo on some products originating in states that imposed sanctions against it. The ban has since been extended for another year.