BRUSSELS, December 8. /TASS/. At the final EU summit this year, which is to be held on December 16-17, the heads of state and governments of the European Union will make a political decision to extend the economic sanctions against Russia by six months, which are tied to the implementation of the Minsk Agreements to resolve the conflict in Ukraine, according to a source in the delegation of one of the EU countries in the Council of the EU speaking to TASS.
The source added that Brussels is not discussing the introduction of new sanctions against Russia for the time being.
"They will touch upon the implementation of the Minsk agreements. In this context, the leaders are expected to green-light the extension of economic sanctions for another six months, because, as you understand, we do not see any advancement. On the contrary, the situation is actually getting tense," the source said.
According to the diplomat, after the summit, Brussels will formally issue a decision on the extension of the sanctions, which will then be published in the Official Journal of the EU and come into force. The measures will expire on January 31.
When asked whether new restrictive measures against Russia are being discussed and whether such an issue is on the agenda of the EU summit, the diplomat replied:
"Yes, there is an understanding of such a possibility in the event of a worsening of the situation, but currently there are no specific proposals on the table. The introduction of new sanctions is not on the agenda for now."
On Tuesday, the head of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, said that the EU would be ready to expand sanctions against Russia "in case of aggression against Ukraine."
There have been allegations in the Western countries and also in Kiev about a possible Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov called such reports in the Western media as "groundless escalation of tension." He stressed that Russia poses no threat to anyone. However, Peskov did not rule out the likelihood of provocations to justify such statements and warned that attempts to resolve the crisis in southeastern Ukraine by force would have the most serious consequences.
In 2014, the European Union imposed sanctions on Russia following the events in Ukraine and the reunification of Crimea with Russia. The Western states expanded and extended their sanctions against Russia several times. Negotiations on a visa-free regime and a new basic cooperation agreement were suspended, a ban was introduced on entry to EU countries for Russian officials, and their assets were frozen. Restrictive measures of a commercial, financial and military nature were also introduced. In response, Russia imposed a ban on imports from the EU countries of a number of food products.