Experts name main obstacles for lifting sanctions from Russia
In early January, a number of political leaders of the US and the EU, for the first time in a long time, have hinted about the prospects of easing the restrictions imposed against Moscow. For example, in Davos, the US Secretary of State John Kerry admitted the possibility of implementation of the Minsk agreements in the coming months, which would open the way to the lifting of sanctions from Russia. After that, the French Minister of Economy Emmanuel Macron expressed hope that sanctions will be lifted “this summer”.
However, according to Bloomberg’s analysts, such sentiments proved to be premature, since at the moment, the criticism of Russian actions in Syria has intensified, and a new political crisis is beginning in Ukraine, therefore Kyiv is unable to fulfill its part of the Minsk agreements.
“President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko is concerned about economic problems and disagreements in the government, and therefore, apparently, is not able to fulfill the obligations on provision of greater autonomy for the Russian-speaking regions in the east of the country. According to a senior source in the Presidential Administration in Kyiv, Poroshenko is unable to gain a two-thirds parliamentary majority for the constitutional reform, since three of the four parties in the ruling coalition are opposing it,” RBC cites the text of the document.