The newspaper stated that one of the European Union officials announced that there is a shared understanding of the decision related to prolonging the sanctions, among the EU members. According to the information presented by the Wall Street Journal, based on data provided by sources in Berlin, London and Paris, the European leaders do not want to trade Ukraine for the Moscow’s support in the struggle against the IS. Harmful effect of such stance is also stressed by the Wall Street Journal sources close to the Kiev government, stating that any changes in the ongoing policies, pursued by the United States of America and by the European Union, are going to have a very detrimental impact on Ukraine, as well as in Europe itself.

According to Wall Street Journal, the United States are not going to review their stance as well. Leaders of the United States of America, France, Germany, Italy and the United Kingdom have discussed this issue during the talks in Turkey, outside the public eye. It is worth to note the fact that Victoria Nuland, representing the US State Department, announced that sanctions against Moscow shall remain in force. She also announced that more support is going to be provided for the Ukrainians.

WSJ reports that, at the moment, the Western leaders are considering their options between three scenarios. The options assume that sanctions are going to be imposed for another three-four months, six months or twelve months. In case of the shortest period, the EU is going to impose pressure on Russia, so that Moscow makes concessions in the policy related to Kiev.

We should also recall the fact, that at the beginning of August, the US Government, via the Industry and Security Bureau, announced that sanctions against Gazprom are going to become more severe. This is related to the need of acquiring a permission to procure and use US-made devices and technologies, within the scope of the exploitation and exploration works related to the Yuzhno Kirinskoye deposit. The ban is related to independent use of products, in case of which the US contribution exceeds the level of 25%. The regulations are multi-faceted, since they also cover export and re-export of the resources, found within that area. This is the first case, since some time now, when the Trade Department sanctions are directly connected to access to the natural resources, and they are not directed against specific natural or legal persons.