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Economie

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The Council of Europe officially announced on Thursday the extension of economic sanctions against Russia until 31 January 2020.

"The decision to keep sanctions as a result of the information provided by the German Chancellor and the French President of the Council of Europe on 20-21 June on the status of implementation of the Minsk Conventions," the Council of Europe said in a statement.

EU leaders agreed unanimously to maintain economic sanctions against Russia, and the council passed the resolution in writing.

Measures relate to the financial, energy and defense sectors as well as to dual-use goods.

The EU Council, the highest governing body of the European Union, announced earlier this month that the EU summit had made a political decision to extend economic sanctions against Russia for six months because it saw no progress in implementing the Minsk agreements on Donbass.

Relations between Russia and Western countries, including the United States and the European Union, have worsened in the wake of the Ukrainian crisis. EU countries have imposed sanctions against people and entire sectors of the Russian economy. Russia, in response to these sanctions, banned the supply of food from countries that imposed sanctions.

Brussels and Washington accuse Russia of interfering in the conflict in eastern Ukraine, which Moscow has repeatedly denied, saying it is not a party to the Ukrainian conflict.