Warsaw, London Support Preservation of Anti-Russian Sanctions

Warsaw and London agree that the anti-Russian sanctions should remain in force until the implementation of the Minsk agreement on Ukrainian reconciliation, Polish Foreign Minister Witold Waszczykowski said.

WARSAW (Sputnik) — On Saturday, Waszczykowski held a meeting with UK Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson in Warsaw. According to the Polish Press Agency, the sides discussed a number of bilateral and international issues, including the security cooperation within NATO and the situation in Ukraine.

"We agree that the sanctions [against Russia] should remain in force until Russia starts to implement [the Minsk] agreement," Waszczykowski said as quoted by the media outlet.

In April 2014, Kiev authorities launched a military operation to suppress independence militia in the eastern Ukrainian Donbass region. In February 2015, the two sides reached a ceasefire deal after talks brokered by the leaders of Russia, Germany, France and Ukraine – the so-called Normandy Format — in the Belarusian capital of Minsk.

Key points of the Minsk agreements include a ceasefire, heavy weapons withdrawal from the line of contact in eastern Ukraine, constitutional reforms, including a decentralization of power in the country, and granting a special status to the Donbass region.

The latest ceasefire agreement was reached between Ukraine’s conflicting sides during a Contact Group meeting in August.