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European heads of state decided on Thursday (13) to extend by six months the economic sanctions taken against Russia for its role in the conflict in Ukraine, no progress whatsoever. having been accomplished in the implementation of the Minsk peace agreements.
"The European Union (EU) has unanimously extended economic sanctions against Russia, no progress having been made in the implementation of the Minsk agreements", said the President of the European Council, Donald Tusk. The validity expands until July.
The EU decided to impose sanctions on the Russian energy, defense and banking sectors for the first time on July 31, 2014, following the demolition of 39, a Malaysia Airlines plane in the east of Ukraine. month.
In mid-March 2015, they also decided to link their duration to the implementation of the Minsk Accords, which aim to end the conflict between the forces loyal to Kiev and the pro-Russian separatists in the country. east of the country.
The eighth extension of sanctions, to which Russia responded with retaliatory measures against European farmers, comes amid a tension between Kiev and Moscow following a naval incident occurred late November in the sea of Azov.
"The European Council calls for the immediate release of all detained Ukrainian seamen, the return of ships and the free movement of all ships crossing the Kerch Strait," added Tusk in a new tweet.
In a statement, the 28 heads of state and government of the EU also declared their willingness to "take steps to strengthen their support [a Kiev] including in favor of the affected regions of the country. # 39; Ukraine. "
NATO, which also condemns the incident and calls for the release of sailors, announced several hours earlier its support to Kiev by providing secure communication equipment before the end of the year .
Economic sanctions are one of the aspects of punitive measures decided by the EU to punish the role of Moscow in Ukraine, of which the Crimean peninsula succeeded in March 2014 and where more than ten thousand people are dead.
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