Russia has welcomed a decision by EU foreign ministers to lift sanctions against Belarusian President Alyaksandr Lukashenka over the country's rights and democracy record.
The EU ministers agreed on February 15 that 170 Belarusians, including Lukashenka, along with three blacklisted Belarusian companies should be permanently removed from the EU list of those facing asset freezes and visa bans.
"Naturally we perceive this very positively," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on February 16, commenting on the EU decision to abandon restrictive measures against the Belarusian leader.
Peskov added that the move "simply demonstrates once again the absolutely senseless nature of sanctions."
Russian officials and companies are themselves facing economic sanctions from the EU, United States, and other countries over Russia's actions in Ukraine.
