MOSCOW (Sputnik) — The European Union may start gradual abolition of sanctions against Russia in the spring of 2017, if the Syrian crisis does not escalate further, a member of Russia's Federation Council, Alexei Pushkov, said on Friday.
“The [EU] summit demonstrated that the European Union is unlikely to get back to the question of introducing additional sanctions against Russia. On the contrary, I expect that in the spring, if there is no dramatic events in Syria, the EU countries may start phasing out the existing sanctions against Russia,” Pushkov told RIA Novosti.
On Thursday, media reported that the leaders of the European Union member states were considering imposition of a new round of sanctions against Russia over the ongoing Syria crisis at the European Council. However, any mentioning of new sanctions on Moscow was absent from the debate’s conclusions published on Thursday night.
