The European Union extended this Wednesday the economic sanctions imposed on Russia for another six months, for its intervention in the separatist crisis in eastern Ukraine and for not having implemented the Minsk Peace agreements, according to the community body.

The determination to prolong the sanctions until January 31, 2018 occurred after the heads of State and Government of the Union reached a political agreement.

French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Angela Merkel spoke with the other leaders on the implementation of the Minsk agreements, which aim to end the crisis in eastern Ukraine.

The extended sanctions include the embargo on the importation and export of weapons and related material for Russia, as well as the prohibition on the export of goods and technology that combine civil and military use.