Prolongation of Russia sanctions to prevent full scale offensive against Ukraine - Poroshenko

It will also “create better conditions for strengthening international pressure of our coalition on Moscow in the matters of the return of the occupied areas of Donbas under the sovereignty of Ukraine,” the president said on Friday before the awards ceremony for Ukrainian servicemen on the occasion of the Day of the Armed Forces to be marked Sunday. Poroshenko said he will visit Brussels on December 16 in order to “finalize” the issue of extending sanctions against Russia. "Over the past few weeks I held talks on this subject with an overwhelming majority of the leaders of the European Union, and on December 16 I plan to fly to Brussels to put the final full stop in this matter," said Poroshenko.