18:44 17.01.2017

World community should lift sanctions against Russia only after withdrawal of troops, end to occupation of Ukrainian territory – Poroshenko

1 min read
World community should lift sanctions against Russia only after withdrawal of troops, end to occupation of Ukrainian territory – Poroshenko

The world community should lift sanctions against Russia after the withdrawal of Russian forces from Ukraine and the end of Russian occupation of Ukrainian territories, Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko has said.

"These sanctions should be lifted when Russian military forces leave Ukraine, when the occupation ends," Ukraine's head of state said during an interview with the Bloomberg news agency during his visit to Davos, Switzerland on Tuesday.

According to Poroshenko, Russian aggression is directed against a sovereign nation, against democracy and freedom.

"This is an issue of values. It is not a question of sanctions," Ukraine's president emphasized.

He added that in this context Ukraine needs the unity and solidarity of the West.

"Yesterday I had a long conversation with French President Francois Hollande and German Chancellor Angela Merkel. We discussed our effective cooperation in the Normandy Four format and agreed on the future agenda. In this respect, I am an optimist. I think it's not so important what happens with EU leaders. The issue of the EU's future is important, however, and it's in the interests of Ukraine and EU member states," Poroshenko said.

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