EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini has declared that the European stance on anti-Russia sanctions is not associated with decisions made in Washington.

Mogherini said European policy with regard to anti-Russia sanctions will be independent of the new US administration.

"In a transactional manner…case by case, you will find issues where I wouldn’t be surprised to see the Europeans and the Russians on the same side — Iran deal, Middle East peace process, possibly the role of the UN," Mogherini told The Wall Street Journal on Wednesday. Asked about the future EU stance on the issue of anti-Russian sanctions, Mogherini said the restrictive measures will be linked to the implementation of the Minsk peace agreements and will not be influenced by the decisions of the administration of Donald Trump. "So here again, European decisions are not linked to political decisions in Washington," Mogherini stressed. On Tuesday, German Chancellor Angela Merkel spoke of the necessity to extend anti-Russia sanctions. Kremlin aide Yury Ushakov emphasized later in the day that the extension of sanctions against Russia is a dead-end which does not promote the resolution of any issues. While on campaign trail, Trump repeatedly called for dialogue with Russia, which was hit by US and EU sanctions in 2014, over the reunification of Crimea with Russia and Moscow’s alleged involvement in the internal Ukrainian crisis. Trump has said that Crimean residents seem to be more eager to be with Russia than with Ukraine.