European Union members are due this week to take decisions on sanctions against Russia imposed over the former’s conflict with Ukraine, whether to extend or not and most likely outcome is a conditional and gradual one.
Austrian minister of foreign affairs, Sebastian Kurz said yesterday that it is time for the European Union to find common ground with Russia. He said, “I believe that we should gradually come to a modus in which for every implementation of the Minsk Protocol, for every single step, sanctions will gradually be lifted in return”. His views echoed the comments made by German foreign minister, Frank Walther stein Meier, who said that the European Union should consider phasing out the sanctions gradually with progress.
These views are in sharp contrast to German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s view that sanctions should only be lifted when compliance with Minsk agreement is at full. However, hardliners are being forced to reconsider their positions in Ukraine crisis as they will need Russian cooperation in bigger conflicts in Syria, which has triggered European refugee crisis.
EU members are most likely to extend the sanctions at the meeting, however, it will suggest on the guidelines for reducing the sanctions.
