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Russia not to give up national interests for lifting of Western sanctions: FM

Xinhua, May 25, 2016 Adjust font size:

Russia will not give up national interests for the lifting of sanctions, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Wednesday.

"As for the future of these restrictions, this question should be directed to those who initiated the sanctions spiral. We have not and will not discuss any conditions or criteria for lifting these restrictive measures," TASS news agency quoted Lavrov as saying in an interview with the Hungarian newspaper Magyar Nemzet.

He also said his country expects improvement in relations with the European Union, whose sanctions on Russia expires on July 31.

"We have too many connections in geography, in economy, and in history."

The West has introduced several rounds of sanctions against Russia since 2014, accusing Moscow of meddling in Ukraine's internal affairs and fueling the conflict in the country. Endi