EU leaders warned Russia about the possibility of new sanctions

The European Union may introduce new sanctions ifceasefire announcementachieved between Ukraine and the pro-Russian separatists in Minsk, will not be fully implemented.

EU leaders warned about this.

Shortly after, with her mediation in Minsk, an agreement was reached between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko, German Chancellor Angela Merkel said on Thursday that EU leaders had asked the European Commission to prepare additional sanctions in case the ceasefire would not be be respected.

“If the new agreements are not implemented, we must take further measures. We leave this possibility, ”Merkel said, adding that the existing sanctions can be lifted only after the elimination of the circumstances that were the basis for their introduction.

The EU has already imposed sanctions against Russia and the pro-Russian separatists in the Crimea and eastern Ukraine. They include a ban on the issuance of visas and the freezing of assets of individuals, as well as restricting access to European capital, arms and technology markets.

French President Francois Hollande repeated the warning to Merkel, but also added that if the cease-fire agreement was fully implemented, the sanctions would be gradually lifted.

According to Hollande, the conditions for the transfer of Mistral-type warships, built by France for Russia, have not yet been fulfilled.

If the Minsk agreement is not respected, “we will return to the procedure that you know about, when new sanctions will be added to the existing ones,” Hollande said, according to Voice of America.