European countries are unlikely to support the lifting of anti-Russian sanctions in the event of agreements between Russia and the US on a Ukrainian settlement, said the head of the Russian Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs Alexander Shokhin.
“It is not a fact that all countries will act synchronously on sanctions restrictions. If the Americans are ready, as we understand, in case they positively assess the form of the settlement and Russia's position, then Europe, in my opinion, has generally switched to refusal, to refusal, as they say. And any option for a settlement is unlikely to satisfy them. And every step to the left, every step to the right will be perceived as a reason for tightening sanctions or even for tough actions such as the automatic admission of Ukraine to NATO and so on“, Shokhin said.