Obama and leaders of Northern Europe want to extend sanctions against Russia

Фото: Depositphotos

US President Barack Obama and The heads of state of Northern Europe at the summit held in Washington called for the extension of sanctions against Russia.

“Sanctions against Russia for its actions in eastern Ukraine cannot be lifted until Russia fully implements its obligations under the Minsk agreements. Our Crimea-related sanctions must also remain in place until Russia returns the territory to Ukrainian control,” the joint statement following the talks said.

In addition, the American president and the leaders of Sweden, Denmark, Finland, Norway, and Iceland believe that “the illegal occupation and attempted annexation of Crimea by Russia, Russian aggression in the Donbass and attempts to destabilize Ukraine are incompatible with international law and violate the established European security order.”

The summit participants, reportedly, also mentioned the responsibility of the leaders of Ukraine for overcoming the internal crisis, assuring support for the efforts of Kiev.

“We expect the Ukrainian government to redouble its efforts to enact and implement effective reforms. The United States and Nordic countries will continue to actively assist Ukraine in these efforts. We strongly support the EU's Eastern Partnership,” the final document says.

President Barack Obama holds talks with leaders of the Nordic countries on pressing issues in the field of international security. Among other things, the topic of frequent incidents involving Russian military equipment was discussed.

States representing northern Europe express concern over Russia's "growing military presence in the Baltic Sea region, nuclear posturing, unannounced exercises, and provocative actions by Russian aircraft and warships."

As ForumDaily wrote earlier, Finland and Sweden, which in recent years have noticeably deepened cooperation with NATO, did not seek membership in the alliance, largely due to the potentially formidable reaction of Russia.

However, the Washington summit participants advocate the need to maintain a dialogue with Russia in order to increase transparency and reduce risks, as well as to resolve issues of mutual interest, including in the framework of the campaign against LIH and the end of the conflict in Syria.

Senior Director of European Affairs at the US National Security Council, Charles Kupchan, explained the summit as a desire to show partners the “deep involvement” of the United States in ensuring the security of the region.

As is known, the economic sanctions against Russia expire in June, but the presidents of the United States and France, as well as the prime ministers of Germany, Great Britain and Italy, have already agreed that the sanctions will be lifted only after Moscow fully implements the Minsk agreements.

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