Lithuanian President: Sanctions against Russia will remain in force
According to Lithuanian President Dalia Grybauskaitė, the Lithuanian people are better than the most European countries at understanding their Russian neighbor.
In an interview with ICTV, Grybauskaitė stated that most European countries have a certain quality of remoteness in their relationships with the Russian Federation. "The people of Lithuania in their own skin understand this relationship. Italy and Greece are too remote. They never had historical relations with Russia like we have. And from this point of view their perception of behavior of the Russian Federation is somewhat different. We better understand what is happening," she added.
In light of that perspective, the President of Lithuania stated that in the opinion of the European Union, Russia has not been fulfilling the Minsk Agreements. Therefore, the sanctions will remain in force. "Europe understands and accepts the principles laid out in the Minsk Agreements but these basic principles have not been followed. Therefore, the sanctions will remain," the President of Lithuania said.