French National Assembly deputy Thierry Mariani said he sees no prospects of the EU sanctions being lifted from Russia in the near future.

"As to the sanctions, it seems to me that they were imposed for a long time. I don't expect the situation in this matter to improve in the coming year," he told Interfax on Wednesday.

In 2014, the European Union imposed sanctions on Russia over the events in eastern Ukraine and the reunion of Crimea and Russia. The sanctions were later broadened and prolonged several times.

On July 1, 2016, the Council of the European Union officially prolonged the anti-Russia sanctions until January 31, 2017.