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WORLD NEWS Wednesday 6 June 2018

Putin in Austria: Lifting Russia sanctions would benefit all

but "will work to improve He added that "a win-win servative Kurz and officials
relations between the Euro- situation is better for both including Vice Chancel-
pean Union and Russia." sides than a lose-lose situa- lor Heinz-Christian Strache,
"In particular, we hope tion." whose nationalist Freedom
that there will be progress Unlike many other EU coun- Party entered the govern-
in eastern Ukraine, so that tries, Austria didn't expel ment in December as the
sanctions can be removed Russian diplomats over the junior coalition partner.
step by step in accordance nerve agent poisoning in Over the weekend, Strache
with the Minsk agreement," Britain earlier this year of — whose party in 2016
Kurz said, referring to a 2015 former Russian spy Sergei signed a cooperation
peace accord brokered Skripal and his daughter. agreement with the main
by Germany and France Putin met in Vienna with Kremlin party, United Rus-
that, so far, is far from fully liberal President Alexander sia — said it was time to lift
implemented. Van der Bellen, the con- sanctions against Russia.q

Russian President Vladimir Putin attends a joint press conference
with Austrian President Alexander Van Der Bellen as part of a
meeting in Vienna, Austria, Tuesday, June 5, 2018.
Associated Press

By VLADIMIR ISACHENKOV Moscow over its 2014 an-
PHILIPP JENNE nexation of Ukraine's
Associated Press Crimean Peninsula and its
VIENNA (AP) — Western support for separatists in
sanctions against Russia eastern Ukraine who are
haven't worked and both fighting the government.
Moscow and the West Coupled with a drop in oil
would benefit from lifting prices, the sanctions con-
them, Russian President tributed to Russia's two-
Vladimir Putin declared year recession.
Tuesday as he visited Aus- The Russian economy has
tria — one of the Europe- rebounded, however, and
an Union's more Moscow- Putin emphasized that lift-
friendly members. ing the sanctions would an-
Putin, making his first for- swer common interests. He
eign trip since being sworn said that both Russia and
in for a fourth term, said the the EU would benefit from
restrictions are "harmful for resuming full-scale coop-
everyone — those who initi- eration.
ated them and those who Austrian Chancellor Se-
are targeted by them." bastian Kurz said his coun-
The United States, the Eu- try, which will take over
ropean Union and other the 28-nation EU's rotating
Western allies imposed a presidency for six months in
slew of sanctions against July, stands by EU sanctions