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Russian lawmaker: EU will try to review sanctions against Russia in spring

Alexey Pushkov believes sanctions were adopted in the situation of serious disagreements despite seeming unanimity, and these disagreements will only grow by summer 2016

MOSCOW, December 23. /TASS/. The European Union (EU) will try to review sanctions against Russia in spring, State Duma’s International Affairs Committee chairman Alexey Pushkov said on Wednesday.

"I can assume that [they] will start looking more actively for possibilities to review sanctions against Russia in spring, and I hope that it will lead to results in summer," Pushkov told a press conference.

"Sanctions were adopted [at the end of 2015] in the situation of serious disagreements despite seeming unanimity," the lawmaker said. "I think that these disagreements will only grow by summer 2016," he added.

On December 21 the Council of the European Union formally extended sanctions against Russia by six months, thus endorsing the decision agreed by the envoys of the 28 EU member-countries on December 18. The sanctions against Russia were extended until July 31, 2016.