‘No case’ for relaxing Russia sanctions – Boris Johnson

The UK government is insistent that there is “no case” for relaxing sanctions against Russia following a resurgence of violence in eastern Ukraine, the foreign secretary has said.

Speaking before a meeting of EU foreign ministers in Brussels on Monday morning, Boris Johnson said “the UK will be insisting that there is no case for relaxation of sanctions, [there is] every case for keeping up the pressure on Russia”.

Mr Johnson said “everybody’s very concerned” about a recent upsurge in violence, though he added there was “a bit of murkiness about who initiated that”.

The government’s commitment to maintaining sanctions comes despite calls from US president Donald Trump and European leaders such as Hungary’s Viktor Orban for a normalisation in relations with Russia.