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No reason to ease sanctions against Russia: Ukrainian president

Xinhua, January 25, 2017 Adjust font size:

Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko said Tuesday that there is no reason to relieve the sanctions imposed by the United States and the European Union (EU) on Russia.

His remarks came after U.S. President Donald Trump, who said in an interview with the Wall Street Journal earlier this month that he was open to lifting sanctions against Russia.

Poroshenko, who was visiting Finland, also said that Ukraine would be happy "if Russia fulfills all the conditions under the Minsk (agreement)."

The Minsk agreement, signed in February 2015 in the Belarusian capital with the mediation of France and Germany, calls for a cease-fire along with a range of political, economic and social measures aimed at ending the conflict in eastern Ukraine.

At a joint press conference, Finnish President Sauli Niinisto reiterated Finland's position on the Ukraine crisis, saying that the Minsk agreement should be fulfilled as soon as possible, which is the precondition for lifting the sanctions.

Niinisto said he did not believe that the United States would change its policy and relief the sanctions.

Since 2014, the United States, the EU and some of their allies have imposed several rounds of sanctions on Russia over its takeover of Crimea and alleged involvement in the Ukrainian crisis. Endi