EU sanctions against Russia may be partially lifted by the end of this year, a source told RIA Novosti in Brussels. The upcoming extension of sanctions, according to him, will be the last

Photo: Ekaterina Kuzmina / RBC

The European Union may partially lift sanctions against Russia at the end of the year. reports this RIA Novosti with reference to a diplomatic source in Brussels.

“The European Union will probably extend the sanctions for the last time, and at the end of the year they may be partially lifted,” the agency quotes its interlocutor as saying.

He also commented on the statement of Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjártó, who on Wednesday spoke out against the automatic extension of EU sanctions against Russia. According to a RIA Novosti source , “differences in the issue of sanctions policy among EU countries are obvious, and now opinions are being expressed openly.”

Among the strong supporters of extending sanctions against Russia, the interlocutor named Poland, the Baltic countries, Great Britain and Sweden. Among those who believe that partial or complete lifting of sanctions is overdue, he pointed out Hungary, Cyprus, Greece, Italy and Slovakia.

Last week, Bloomberg , citing six unnamed officials from the European Union, reported that EU countries agreed to extend the sanctions imposed on Russia for another six months. The agency's interlocutors emphasized that representatives of all 28 EU member states agreed that the lifting of sanctions should follow the full implementation of the Minsk agreements. At the same time , Bloomberg emphasized that among his interlocutors there were also representatives of countries that “least support sanctions.”

The agency noted that the extension of sanctions, scheduled for June, will postpone the decision on their possible easing until December, when the presidential administration changes in the United States.

The media learned about the possible easing of EU sanctions against Russia by the end of the year