Seven EU countries oppose extending sanctions against Russia.

The leaders of these countries said they would veto any proposal to extend the current Western sanctions against Russia.

Sputnik News reports that among these seven countries are Cyprus, Italy, and Greece. Accordingly, Cypriot President Nicos Anastasiades visited Moscow last February, Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi met with Russian President Vladimir Putin in early March, and Greek President Alexis Tsipras will visit Russia next April.

The flag of the European Union (EU) (Photo: Sputnik News)

Besides the three countries mentioned above, Hungary, Slovakia, Austria, and Spain are also very hesitant to impose sanctions on Russia.

According to Bloomberg, sanctions against Russia will be discussed at the EU summit on March 19th.

"The most obvious outcome is that these countries will not accept an extension of sanctions against Russia and will only consider doing so when the sanctions are about to expire," said Ian Bond, a former British politician now working for the Centre for European Reform in London.

Meanwhile, Steven Blockmans, an analyst at the Brussels-based Centre for European Policy Research, argues: "The reluctance of countries to extend sanctions shows they have increased confidence in Russia."

EU countries halted trade and visa negotiations with Russia and placed several Russian political figures and military officials on sanctions lists shortly after Russia annexed Crimea in March 2014. In January 2015, the EU countries agreed to extend sanctions against Russia for another six months.

However, Latvian Foreign Minister Edgars Rinkēvičs, whose country currently holds the rotating EU presidency, expressed doubt that EU countries would impose sanctions on Russia at the upcoming meeting.

According to VOV.VN