The sanctions against Russia need to be extended if the Minsk agreements are not fulfilled, Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko said.

"The denied access of OSCE monitors to the uncontrolled sector of the Ukrainian-Russian border and weapon storage sites, the denied access or expulsion of representatives of authoritative international organizations, among them Doctors without Borders, UN representatives, impediments to the activity of workers of the International Committee of the Red Cross, the non-release of Ukrainian hostages illegally held on the occupied territories and in Russia create a serious threat to the implementation of the Minsk processes," Poroshenko said at a joint press briefing with Latvian President Raimonds Vejonis in Kyiv on Tuesday.

"In this context, we have discussed in detail and informed our Latvian partners, European partners about the need to extend sanctions imposed by the EU and other partner countries of ours under the circumstances of further non-implementation of the Minsk agreements," Poroshenko said.