BRUSSELS, June 6. /TASS/. The leaders of the European Union (EU) member states will make a political decision on extending economic sanctions against Russia at the EU summit on June 20, an EU source in Brussels told TASS on Thursday.
"We expect that Merkel and Macron will once again inform EU leaders if there is progress in the implementation of the Minsk Agreements. And since there have been no significant changes, they are likely to recommend extending sanctions for another six months, and the summit will make a political decision in this regard," the source said.
According to him, technical steps will follow a political decision. "The Council of the European Union is expected to issue a formal decision in about a week after the summit, which will come into force after its publication in the Official Journal of the European Union," the source said.
Sanctions against Russia
The European Union earlier imposed several packages of sanctions on Moscow, which include economic sanctions, individual restrictions and Crimea-related sanctions.
The package of economic sanctions expires on July 31, 2019.