MOSCOW, October 21. /TASS/. Those European countries speaking out against new sanctions against Russia have actually choked off assistance to terrorists in Syria, Russia’s State Duma (lower house of parliament) Deputy Speaker Irina Yarovaya said on Friday commenting on the fact that the sanctions issue had not been included into the final declaration of the EU summit.

"Italy and those other European countries who blocked new sanctions against Russia, in fact choked off assistance to terrorists in Syria since Russia is on the frontline of combating terrorists and defending global indivisible security," Yarovaya told reporters.

As the British newspaper, Financial Times reported earlier, at the EU summit, Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi persuaded the leaders of Germany, France and the UK to give up the idea of imposing new anti-Russian sanctions over Syria. According to the Financial Times, during the nine-hour talks, Renzi insisted on rejecting the proposal for a new round of sanctions against Russia put forward by Berlin, Paris and London.

After the first day of the EU summit, Renzi stated that he thought anti-Russian sanctions over Syria were senseless. In his opinion, this sort of measure would not help settle the Syrian conflict.