VERONA, October 25. /TASS/. European Union member states have lost "appetite" for new sanctions on Russia, particularly over the Skripal case and the alleged cyber attack on the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), Russian Permanent Representative to the EU Vladimir Chizhov told TASS.
"I think there is neither enthusiasm nor appetite for new sanctions. Everyone - even those who support sanctions - understands that this road leads nowhere," the envoy pointed out.
The European Union earlier approved a simplified mechanism to introduce sanctions over chemical and cyber attacks.
The new sanctions mechanism was launched in order to implement a decision the European Union made at its June summit, highlighting the need to introduce new EU restrictions to combat the spread of chemical weapons.
The decision was made following an emergency OPCW meeting in the Hague, initiated by Great Britain and the United States over the Skripal case and the Syrian government forces’ alleged use of chemical weapons. OPCW member states voted to provide the organization with the right to assign responsibility for chemical attacks. Russian Permanent Representative to the OPCW Alexander Shulgin slammed the decision as "an usurpation of the UN Security Council’s exclusive powers.".