European Union leaders will explore next month the possibility of improving strained ties with Russia in response to growing irritation among some member states over economic sanctions imposed on Moscow over its role in the Ukraine crisis, Reuters reported. But the sanctions appear likely to remain in place for now, especially those slapped over Crimea, the Black Sea peninsula seized by Russia in March 2014, despite the legal and political challenges of maintaining them. A series of Reuters investigations recently showed how European companies including German engineering group Siemens and French retailer Auchan were finding ways around the punitive sanctions regime in Crimea. EU leaders will review the state of relations with Russia at a summit on Oct. 20-21, with the hawks’ camp weakened by Britain’s decision to leave the bloc and by increased strains between Brussels and Poland’s nationalist-minded government. Countries sceptical about extending sanctions include Italy, Greece, Cyprus, Slovakia and Hungary.
