EU leaders to prolong sanctions against Russia over Ukraine – German FM Maas

European Union leaders will renew economic sanctions against Russia over Ukraine when they meet for a summit this week, German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said on Monday.

“At the moment, for me there is no reason to change anything in the sanctions policy of the EU towards Russia,” AFP quoted the minister as saying in Brussels.

The statement comes as France hosts a four-way summit with Ukraine, Russia and Germany on Monday. The meeting in Paris is the first ‘Normandy Format’ summit on the conflict in eastern Ukraine in three years.

It seeks to implement accords signed in Minsk in 2015, which call for the withdrawal of heavy weapons, the restoration of Ukraine’s control over its borders, wider autonomy for Donetsk and Lugansk, and the holding of local elections.