“As of today, I do not see any trends to fear that the sanctions will not be extended this summer,” Kuleba said in an interview with RBC-Ukraine.

In this context, he recalled that this time the Russians took a roundabout approach and during the pandemic began to raise the issue of the need to lift sanctions “for humanitarian purposes” to fight coronavirus by combined efforts.

“We were the first to oppose it, we worked with our partners, a serious international wave arose, and we put an end to this story. There is no such narrative now,” Kuleba said.

He predicted that the Russians would try to do something else, but the position has already been formed that the pandemic is not a reason to lift sanctions imposed in response to violations of international law.

“I think that easing of EU’s sanctions in summer is in the area of ​​controlled risk. Of course, moans and discussions will start again in the autumn. But we have been observing this situation since 2014, when before each six-month extension of sanctions, the question arises whether they should be extended, whether they are effective or not,” the minister stated.

According to him, this is already a “very lengthy struggle in which everyone is involved.”

As reported, in July 2014, the European Union imposed economic sanctions on Russia over the illegal annexation of Crimea and actions to destabilize eastern Ukraine. In September 2014, these sanctions were strengthened.