MOSCOW (Sputnik) — The statement comes as US President-elect Donald Trump said in an interview with The Times and Bild media outlets on Sunday that US sanctions against Russia could be lifted in exchange for a bilateral agreement on the reduction of nuclear weapons.
"The European Union decisions are not taken in Washington, they are taken in Brussels… So our decisions on sanctions on Russia for the annexation of the Crimea or for the aggression on Ukraine will be constantly and always merit based, linked to the full implementation of the Minsk agreements, when it comes to the situation in the east of Ukraine, and will not depend on decisions taken elsewhere," she said at the World Economic Forum in Davos.
Some countries such as Austria, Hungary, Slovenia, France and Italy have called for gradual lifting of anti-Russian sanctions, however, in December 2016 the sanctions were extended until July 31,2017, citing the failure to implement the Minsk peace agreements.
Russia has repeatedly refuted the allegations, warning that the Western sanctions are counterproductive and undermine global stability.
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