Russia won't ask EU to lift sanctions

Russia does not intend to ask the European Union to lift sanctions, Deputy Prime Minister of Russia Sergey Prikhodko stated today.

He also noted that the Russian response to these sanctions has created problems, including for Greece, adding that the Russian Federation was not their initiator.

"Practice shows that the effect of any sanctions is ephemeral and it has a negative nature for their initiators in most cases. We will not appeal to anyone asking for the lifting of sanctions. This is a question of the political will and political maturity of our partners," RIA Novosti quotes him as saying.