26/08/2016 (Agence Europe) – On Friday 26 August, the Slovakian Prime Minister, Robert Fico, whose country currently holds the Presidency of the Council of the EU, called for the sanctions against Russia to be lifted. "Personally, I think it is time to view the sanctions rationally and to say that they harm both the EU and Russia", he explained on his Facebook account, following a meeting with the Russian President, Vladimir Putin. These sanctions have "brought absolutely nothing to solving the sensitive questions which they were supposed to influence. We agreed with Vladimir Putin that our common pursuit is to revive our mutual trade again", he added. These sanctions, in place until the end of January 2017, are linked to the full implementation of the Minsk Agreements, which is running behind schedule. (CG)