BRUSSELS, December 11. /TASS/. Heads of states and governments of the European Union will make a political decision to extend economic sanctions against Russia for six months, a high-ranking EU spokesperson said on the verge of the EU summit on December 12-13.

"As you are aware, sanctions against Russia are linked to implementation of the Minsk Agreements. The summit is expected to agree upon extension of restrictions for six months more," the spokesperson said.

The topic of sanctions will be raised within the framework of discussing the Minsk Agreements for settlement of the conflict in Ukraine after the Normandy Summit held on December 9 in Paris, the EU spokesperson noted. "Chancellor [of Germany Angela] Merkel and President [of France Emmanuel] Macron will inform leaders about the progress in Minsk Agreements implementation after the summit in the Normandy format, which was held on December 9 in Paris," he added.

Following the developments in Ukraine and Crimea’s reunification with Russia in 2014, the European Union imposed a package of anti-Russian sanctions and suspended talks on visa-free travel and a new framework agreement on cooperation. It banned a number of Russian officials from entering the European Union and froze their assets. Apart from that, trade, financial and military restrictions were introduced. The sanctions have been extended and expanded more than once. The current package of economic sanctions expires on January 31, 2020.