Rinkevics: No reason to speak about lifting Russian sanctions

RIGA - Foreign Minister Edgars Rinkevics (Unity) told BNS today that there is absolutely no reason to speak about the lifting or easing of the EU sanctions against Russia.

He said that EU member states will discuss matters related to the Russia sanctions in the summer, but added that it is not possible to ease or lift the sanctions at the moment, as the Minsk agreements are not being observed.

''The situation in Eastern Ukraine has only been deteriorating. This can be seen by the reports released recently by United Nations, OSCE and others. As long as Russia continues to breach international law, maintaining sanctions is the right step,'' he said.

As reported, in February 2014 Russia occupied the Crimean peninsula that belonged to Ukraine. In March of that year, Crimea was annexed. Over the past two years or so, Russia has also been backing a bloody separatist movement in Eastern Ukraine.

In response to Russia's aggression in Ukraine, the EU, the United States, and other Western countries have imposed sanctions against Russia's top officials, Kremlin associates, and Russia's financial, defense, and energy sectors.