Foreign Minister Erkki Tuomioja said on Monday he does not believe the EU should tighten its sanctions against Russia, despite a ceasefire in Ukraine appearing extremely fragile over the weekend.
Although a 12-point peace plan was agreed last Friday in Minsk, Belarus, between Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko and separatist rebels, shelling and gunfire was observed over the weekend in the eastern Ukrainian town of Mariupol.
Both sides blamed one another for breaking the truce.
But speaking to Yle on Monday, Tuomioja played down the significance of the most recent fighting, saying that he understands that pro-Russian rebel leaders underwent a coup attempt last week.
“This shows that not all factions are under control of the separatist leadership,” Tuomioja told Yle’s breakfast programme Aamu-TV.
”It’s clear that the ceasefire was broken by both sides. This is because there are actors in the area who are not fully Ukrainian or Russian government troops. Volunteer fighters do not necessarily follow the presidents’ lines,” he said.
Hold off on sanctions
While last Friday’s peace deal was being agreed, EU heads of state were meeting in Brussels where they announced that a decision would be made on Monday over whether to further tighten sanctions against Russia, in response to its alleged support for the separatists.
That decision is still yet to be announced, and will depend on whether both sides are seen as adhering to the ceasefire agreement.
Tuomioja said on Monday that he does not believe further sanctions are necessary, so long as both sides in the conflict continue sticking to the agreed deal.
“If it’s clear that we can proceed along some form of peace process, there should be no further sanctions,” Tuomioja said.
However, he added that this does not mean that previously imposed sanctions should be lifted.