Tochytskyi: Russia's attempts to ease sanctions are ‘unfulfilled intention’

"Blurring EU’s sanctions policy on Russia now looks like Kremlin’s unfulfilled intention. The EU has recently extended personal sanctions for another six months. Work is underway to ensure that sectoral sanctions are fully extended in case of Russia’s further non-compliance with the Minsk agreements,” the diplomat wrote in the article for the Yevropeiska Pravda Ukrainian online media outlet.

In this context, he noted that the statement of the European External Action Service of March 27 clearly underscored Russia's responsibility for ongoing armed aggression against Ukraine. In particular, the EU expressed its expectation that "Russia will exert its considerable influence over the armed formations it backs in order to achieve a sustainable and peaceful political solution to the conflict in eastern Ukraine," Tochytskyi recalled.

Ukraine’s Representative to the European Union also pointed out that someone would like to use the pandemic to destroy not only the unity of the European Union but also to postpone the issue of strategic cooperation of the EU with its partner countries.

 “We already see how Russia tries to use the COVID-19 situation to its advantage. We hear the calls for easing the international sanctions. The Russian Federation does not conceal the desire for the erosion of basic principles and values. However, I want to disappoint such ‘destructive strategists’. There are no risks in the EU-Ukraine dialogue that could change the basic principles of our strategic cooperation,” Tochytskyi assured.

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