The Kremlin will give its own response to the EU on sanctions

The decision by the European Union to extend economic sanctions against Russia for six months until 31 January 2018 because it did not find any progress in implementing Russia's Minsk agreements on Ukraine has not surprised the Kremlin.

The head of the Russian Foreign Ministry's European Cooperation Directorate, Andrei Kelin, noted that "there is nothing new for us in this case" and that "the most important thing is that the sanctions did not achieve the targets for which they were imposed, that is, they did not change The foreign policy of the Russian Federation and have no effect on the situation surrounding the Ukrainian conflict. "

Deputy Foreign Minister Alexei Meskov told reporters that the prolongation of the sanctions "causes sadness", while reminding that the sanctions and Russian counterparts are suffering the economies of the countries of the European Union.

However, this decision of the European Union, taken following the suggestions of the French President Emmanuel Makron and the German Chancellor Angela Merkel, left the Kremlin indifferent, which showed that she was prepared to respond in its own way, something that clearly left The Russian press spokesman Dmitry Peskoff said, when he said that Moscow would respond to the extension of the sanctions. "The principle of reciprocity has not been abolished," said Dmitry Peskov, responding to a question he had been asked.

Source: Ria Novosti [ria.ru]