BRUSSELS, Jan. 30 (Xinhua) -- European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker said here Monday it is "not the time for change" concerning the sanctions the European Union imposed on Russia.
"We have taken our decisions, these decisions are valid, and when we have to come back to these decisions we will do so. But this is not the time for change," Juncker told a press conference after meeting with Bulgarian President Rumen Radev.
Last December, the European Union extended the sanctions against Russia for another six months, until July 31, 2017. However, some European countries became unsettled as Trump hinted earlier this month that he could lift the sanctions against Russia if Moscow proved helpful in battling terrorists and reaching other goals important to the United States.
"We were discussing our relations -- the relations between the European Union and Russia -- in a not too intense way, but I do not think there are major divergences between the President (Trump) and the Commission when it comes to the sanctions against Russia," Juncker said.
The EU slapped the sanctions on Russia in July and September 2014 in response to an alleged role that Russia played in conflicts in east Ukraine. In July 2015, the EU extended the sanctions against Russia until Jan. 31, 2017.
In response, Russia imposed a year-long embargo on food imports from Western countries in August 2014, and extended the anti-sanction measures for one more year in June 2015.
In late June, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a decree to extend embargo on food imports from the EU and other countries until the end of 2017.
