German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier Monday said the EU foreign ministers today expressed great hope that the current efforts to de-escalate the situation in Ukraine crisis will make progress.
Speaking to journalists after the meeting of EU foreign ministers , he said the list of new sanctions against Russia has been approved but it will come into effect next Monday.
He explained that by then it would be decided if a meeting in Minsk will take place and what results will come out. Moreover, EU leaders are also meeting in Brussels on Thursday to discuss the situation in Ukraine.
By Monday also "We would also see if Minsk had a success and if an agreement on a ceasefire is observed and respected," Steinmeir said and announced that officials from Germany, France, Russia and Ukraine will meet in Berlin later today to prepare for the Minsk meeting expected to be held on Wednesday.
He said that the issue of delivering arms to Ukraine was not discussed in today's meeting of EU foreign ministers.
"But one things is clear. If the ongoing efforts have no success then the conflict in the next stage will escalate militarily. And then of course here in Europe the question of arms supply will be discussed like it was discussed in the Munich security conference last week," he added.