EU extends sanctions against Russia for six more months

The European Union has pledged to extend for another six months the sanctions against Russian companies and individuals that undermine the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Ukraine.
“The way forward is to re-double our efforts to support the reform process in Ukraine and to resist attempts to destabilize the country,” said Donald Tusk, President of the European Council, addressing the participants of the EU Ambassadors conference on September 2, according to an UNIAN correspondent in Brussels.
“Ukraine’s case is a test of Europe’s fundamental values in the neighbourhood. Countries in the region are watching to see whether sovereign borders can be violated, because this has huge implications for their own security. They want to know whether the future is the rule of law, or the mix of muscle and corruption they have known in the past. Ukraine’s future is a mirror image of the European Union’s future as a global actor,” said Tusk.
“When President Poroshenko visited Brussels last week, it was an opportunity to review the ongoing conflict in Ukraine and our response. The new call to respect the ceasefire, in place since Tuesday, and the vitally important deal on debt reduction for Ukraine are very welcome. Let us hope for the proper implementation of the Minsk agreement, which has come dangerously close to falling apart over the past few months. The latest dramatic events in Kiev only prove how difficult the process has been,” Tusk said.