The European Parliament has tried to convince the European Union in March to keep the punishment in regard to Russia, said in a press release on the decision of the EP about the situation in Ukraine.

above the head of the Council of Europe Donald Tusk said that the EU in March will see the question of the punishment relative to the Russian Federation in connection with the situation in Ukraine. As said in the beginning of January, the head of the EU diplomacy Federica Mogherini, punishment of the European Union towards Russia will be removed in the case of full execution of the Minsk agreement on Ukraine, but this is still not close." deputies of the European Parliament urged the EU Council during the meeting in March to keep the current sanctions against Russia ", - reported in the report of the EP.

The EP also tried to convince to approve the criteria according to which restrictive measures are able to be removed. They are required to include, at the written request of the European Parliament, the observance of the ceasefire, unconditional withdrawal of Russian forces and illegal armed groups, the exchange of all prisoners and recovery monitoring of Ukraine over its entire territory. However, the EU must do more punishment, and among them, in the nuclear sector and international financial transactions, if it considers that the Russian Federation is taking fresh steps to destabilize Ukraine.

European Parliament resolution is not binding on the EU institutions on the issue of punishment.

Russia has stated many times that is not involved in the events in Eastern Ukraine and is interested in Ukraine overcame political and economic crisis. Russia also many times called all external actors to influence Kiev for the execution of the Minsk agreements in order to address the situation in the East of the country.

sections: Politics