Leader Barack Obama at a meeting with Prime Minister of Ireland Andoy Kenny said that the penalties against Russia ought to preserve. "(We discussed) the importance of a solid and strong position against Ukraine and Russian aggression there, as well as the need to maintain a strong punishment and ensure the full implementation of the Minsk agreements and respect for territorial integrity and sovereignty of Ukraine, "Obama said, RIA" Novosti ". Earlier on Tuesday, the Minister of foreign Affairs of the presidency of the EU Council of Latvia Edgars rink?vi?s said the head of the EU countries will not discuss the issue of increasing the penalties against Russia at a conference in Brussels on 19-20 March. Remember, March 16, Tusk said that the penalties are relatively capital of Russia must continue to act in support of the execution of convicts in Minsk agreements and relations between the U.S. and the EU. In response to this, foreign Minister Erkki Tuomioja said the call by the head of the European Council Donald Tusk save penalties against Russia, calling a similar approach obstacle to the unification of the European Union. However, Russia's envoy to the EU Vladimir Chizhov said that a critical attitude to sanctions against Russia from a number of members of the European Union increases. According to German Chancellor Angela Merkel, the issue of sanctions with respect to Russia will be finally solved Earlier than June, in March, will be a political discussion. Before the first day of the week, the Deputy head of the Foreign Minister Alexei Meshkov said that some European Union countries keep their "zealous" partners from imposing new sanctions on the Russian capital. It was later announced that Austria and the Czech Republic and Slovakia were against early renewal of sanctions on Russia. On the last working day of the week, a source in the diplomatic mission of one of the leading EU member States in Brussels said that the question of extending the sectoral punishment of the European Union to the Russian capital has the possibility to be solved only in the course of the next EU summit in June. Before that, on Wednesday, 1st Vice-President of the European Commission Frans Timmermans in the European Parliament said that the limits on capital of Russia must be part of the strategy of the European Union. 10px