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EU won’t ease Russia sanctions as Ukraine conflict rages

From left, Finnish Foreign Minister Erkki Tuomioja, Luxembourg's Foreign Minister Jean Asselborn, Dutch Foreign Minister Bert Koenders, Slovakian Foreign Minister Miroslav Lajcak and Latvian Foreign Minister Edgars Rinkevics speak with each other during a meeting of EU foreign ministers in Brussels on Monday, Jan. 19, 2015. The European Union is calling for an anti-terror alliance with Arab countries to boost cooperation and information sharing in the wake of deadly attacks and arrests across Europe linked to foreign fighters. (AP Photo/Virginia Mayo) From left, Finnish Foreign Minister Erkki Tuomioja, Luxembourg's Foreign Minister Jean Asselborn, Dutch Foreign Minister Bert Koenders, Slovakian Foreign Minister Miroslav Lajcak and Latvian Foreign Minister Edgars Rinkevics speak with each other during a meeting of EU foreign ministers in Brussels on Monday, Jan. 19, 2015. The European Union is calling for an anti-terror alliance with Arab countries to boost cooperation and information sharing in the wake of deadly attacks and arrests across Europe linked to foreign fighters. (AP Photo/Virginia Mayo)

By Associated Press January 19, 2015 1 min read

BRUSSELS (AP) – The European Union foreign ministers are ruling out any immediate easing of sanctions against Russia as fighting rages in eastern Ukraine, despite concerns about the economic consequences.

Dutch Foreign Minister Bert Koenders said Monday that since the fighting around the Donetsk airport in eastern Ukraine had intensified, “this is no time to talk about the easing of sanctions.”

Lithuanian Foreign Minister Linas Antanas Linkevicius said Russia has shown “no political will, no movement on the ground, so no reason to change policy.”

In Paris, French President Francois Hollande expressed concerns about the economic consequences of the sanctions for the European economy.

He stressed that French food producers have been especially affected by the sanctions, and said European officials “must make efforts” to address these issues.