Mogherini: EU would be glad to lift sanctions on Russia if Minsk agreements are implemented
The countries of the European Union "would be happy" to lift sanctions imposed on Russia once they have reached the full implementation of the Minsk Agreements, but at the moment it cannot be done, said the head of EU diplomacy, Federica Mogherini, during her visit to the United States.
"We would be happy to lift sanctions against Russia if the Minsk Agreements were fully implemented," she said, speaking at an event at the Carnegie Institute in Washington.
On the topic of US-Russia relations, Mogherini called on both sides not to violate the treaty on the reduction and limitation of Strategic Offensive Arms.
"We cannot allow violations of the new US-RF agreement on the further reduction and limitation of Strategic Offensive Arms from either side. This agreement has become the guarantee of stability and peace in Europe," the EU representative said.
She commented on the recent statement made by U.S. President Donald Trump to the New York Times that he intends to raise the issue of significantly reducing nuclear arsenals during negotiations with Russia. He also spoke about the possibility of reaching an agreement with Moscow on the reduction of nuclear weapons in exchange for lifting sanctions imposed by the USA.