"I'm very sorry for everybody's business who has been impacted by that. It is not a good situation but we are determined to try and work with Russia to try and bring them back into the international fold and allow those exports to go ahead,” Mundell said.
"Russia has approached a far more proactive stance in recent years in terms of trying to protect its interest and we want to have confidence that actually it is going to behave in accordance with the various agreements that it had previously undertaken. That is what we are looking for," the minister stressed.
The United Kingdom as part of the European Union, as well as the United States have introduced a series of sanctions against Russia since 2014 over its alleged involvement in the conflict in eastern Ukraine and reunification of the Black Sea peninsula of Crimea with Russia. Moscow has repeatedly denied the allegations, calling the sanctions regime counterproductive.
Remain Campaign Will Win in Brexit Vote
The United Kingdom nationals will most likely vote Remain in a Brexit referendum taking place on Thursday, but reforms in the European Union are necessary, David Mundell told Sputnik.
The minister added that the European Union still requires significant reforms in order to “make it not the bureaucratic monster it has been in the past but something that supports businesses across the UK.”
British nationals are voting in a referendum to determine whether or not the United Kingdom should leave the European Union. Polling stations across the United Kingdom are open from 7:00 a.m. through 10:00 p.m. local time.
The United Kingdom nationals will most likely vote Remain in a Brexit referendum taking place on Thursday, but reforms in the European Union are necessary, UK Government Minister and Secretary of State for Scotland David Mundell told Sputnik on Thursday.
"I'm confident we are going to have a remain vote, I think people understand the EU isn't perfect but the benefits that come with the EU far outweigh the risks if we were to leave the EU. It's a pragmatic view. I haven't met anyone in the campaign who loves the EU but they do realize that access to that market place, the common standards, the trading opportunities, those things outweigh all their irritations with the EU,” Mundell said.
The minister added that the European Union still requires significant reforms in order to “make it not the bureaucratic monster it has been in the past but something that supports businesses across the UK.”
British nationals are voting in a referendum to determine whether or not the United Kingdom should leave the European Union. Polling stations across the United Kingdom are open from 7:00 a.m. through 10:00 p.m. local time.
