EU Leaders to Discuss Broad Relations with Russia at EU Council Summit

The heads of EU member states will discuss the bloc’s relations with Russia without focusing on sanctions during the upcoming European Council meeting, an EU diplomatic source told RIA Novosi.

BRUSSELS – The European Council is set to gather on October 20-21 and will deal with the issues of migration, trade policy as well as holding a policy debate on relations with Russia, according to the council’s schedule.

“At the moment, we only know that this should be a broader discussion about relations with Russia, not a discussion about sanctions,” the source said.

Europe’s anti-Russian individual and economic sanctions have been the main issue in bilateral relations between the two sides since the Ukrainian crisis erupted in 2014. Brussels imposed several rounds of sanctions on Russia over Crimea’s secession from Ukraine and Moscow’s alleged meddling in the Ukrainian conflict. Russia has repeatedly refuted the accusations, and warned that the sanctions are counterproductive and undermine regional and global stability. The sanctions have been renewed numerous times since.

Sputnik

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