EU leaders will briefly discuss sanctions against Russia in connection with the conflict in Eastern Ukraine on Friday 19 June, as is traditional at their December and June summits.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Emmanuel Macron are expected to review the implementation of the Minsk Protocol, and leaders may agree to a further six-month extension of economic sanctions against Russia. These sanctions run until 31 July 2020 (see EUROPE 12394/34).
On 16 June, in a telephone conversation with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell encouraged Moscow to make further progress in implementing the Minsk Protocol. Mr Lavrov stressed that the agreement had to be respected by all parties in its entirety and in a consistent manner, “which includes, first of all, the development of a direct and stable dialogue between Kyiv, Donetsk, and Lugansk”.
Furthermore, on Thursday 18 June, the EU Council decided to renew the sanctions introduced in response to the illegal annexation of the Crimea and Sevastopol by Russia for one year, until 23 June 2021, These measures specifically include a ban on importing products originating in Crimea or Sevastopol into the EU and all investment in the region.
Services related to tourist activities and the export of certain goods and technologies intended for Crimean companies or for use in Crimea in the transport, telecommunications, and energy sectors, as well as those related to the prospecting, exploration, and production of oil, gas, and mining, are also prohibited. (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant)