His remarks came a day after the EU leaders agreed to extend economic sanctions against Russia for another six months over what they say is Moscow’s interference in Ukraine, which is not an EU member.
The Russian official described the
sanctions as “illegal”, but he expressed his country’s interest in better ties with the EU. The EU accuses Russia of violating EU-brokered peace deals, known as Minsk agreements, in eastern Ukraine, where there has been an armed
conflict between the ethnic Russian-speaking population and the Ukrainian government since 2014.
The conflict first erupted in eastern Ukraine after people in the Black Sea peninsula of Crimea voted for unification with Russia in March 2
14. The West brands the unification as annexation of the territory by Russia. They also accuse Russia of having a major hand in the armed conflict that erupted shortly afterwards in eastern Ukraine. Moscow denies all those allegations.
