According to the expert, the EU is unlikely to adopt new sanctions against Russia in the near future.
"Sanctions are certainly a political tool, but they have been used for a very long time. This instrument has already become futile. New sanctions won't have any significant PR effect anymore," Manoylo said.
"Our sanctions are not a goal in themselves," she added, saying that such "policy aims to end the conflict in eastern Ukraine."
Meanwhile, Lavrov questioned the logic of the European Union's sanctions on Russia in light of the need for all sides to comply with a set of agreements to settle the Ukrainian conflict, calling Kiev's unwillingness to comply with the agreements "apparent sabotage."
For his turn, Manoylo believes that Mogherini's statements just continue the rhetoric of the European leadership, and the improvement of relations between Russia and the West is not in sight.
"All the statements were just her duty, this meeting was important for Mogherini only in order to show that she is still 'in play." Because some people argue that Brussels bureaucracy soon will change and many do not consider Federica Mogherini as a real political force. Thus, I don't see any significant changes, everything is as it used to be," the expert concluded.
Since 2014, the European Union and United States have imposed several rounds of sanctions on Russia over the situation in Ukraine. Moscow denies allegations that it is involved in the conflict and has introduced countermeasures in response to sanctions.
