EU ministerial meeting to consider anti-Russian sanctions November 17 — diplomat

Sanctions the European Union imposed on Russia will most likely be cancelled gradually, Russia's Ambassador to the EU Vladimir Chizhov said in an interview with TASS on Tuesday.
“Sanctions will most likely be cancelled gradually, because they were also introduced gradually,” he noted. Sanctions are formally revised each three months, Chizhov said. The last revision took place on October 28, “so, the next one will be made in late January.”
“The EU Committee of Permanent Representatives is instructed to do this work that certainly does not hamper foreign ministers, heads of state and government discussing this issue. The EU Foreign Affairs Council will have a next meeting at ministerial level on November 17,” the Russian diplomat said, noting that “It was confirmed that the issue of sanctions will also be discussed. This does not mean that some decisions will be compulsorily taken, but debate will take place.”
“Today the fact that sanctions are ineffective and far-fetched is becoming more and more obvious,” Chizhov added. “Those who called for their imposition, did not try to explain which goal they seek for,” the diplomat noted, adding that “Except for repetition of American stereotype — to increase the price of Russian policy on Ukrainian track for the country. So, this is a purely American simplified, profit-seeking approach.”
He also recalled that “Vice-President Joseph Biden described better than anyone else” the story of the sanction issue, leaking a word in his speech to students that European allies opposed this move and the United States had to press on them.

EU close to exhaustion of sanction potential
The European Union “is close to exhaustion of its sanction potential,” Russia's Ambassador to the EU Vladimir Chizhov said.
“The EU is objectively close to exhaustion of its sanction potential. This is so in terms of political will and their economic capabilities. A consensus is needed to cancel sanctions and introduce new ones. At the present moment this is unreal to convene a consensus for cancelling sanctions due to position of several EU states,” he noted.
Asked about some appeals made in Baltic states to impose additional sanctions on Russia after the polls in Donetsk and Luhansk People’s Republics Chizhov said, “I hope that common sense will prevail all the same. I am optimistic about this.”
The diplomat believes that “a consensus in favour of additional sanctions would also be hardly possible to convene.”
“Certainly, this cannot be ruled out that the EU will blacklist some officials from current leadership of Donetsk and Luhansk republics, if someone is not put on this sanctions list yet. But these measures are not directly linked with Russia,” Chizhov said.
The EU has imposed restrictions against Russian oil, banking and defence sectors. The EU has made a blacklist of 119 personalities, including Russian state officials, business people and law enforcers as well as Ukrainian citizens, primarily chief executives of the self-proclaimed Donetsk and Lugansk People’s Republics.