Mogherini says Russia is not a side in Ukrainian conflict

The EU's top diplomat Federica Mogherini said that while she did not see Russia as an "actor" of instability or insecurity, she notes violations of Ukraine's territorial integrity and sovereignty are a matter of universal concern, Reuters reports.

"Our European priority is for the violence to stop in the east of Ukraine. Our efforts, as Europeans, are all focused on the full implementation of the Minsk agreements, and we are concretely contributing to that," RIA Novosti cited Mogherini as saying.

"The European Union has developed a policy of sanctions towards Russia, but a sanctions policy is not in itself a policy - it's a tool. And as such we are maintaining that, as long as the Mink agreement is not fully implemented," she said, noting that Russia is often a constructive partner in many other areas, such as the talks on Iran's controversial nuclear program. She also said that a destabilized and isolated Russia is not in the interests of the European Union.