Europe is becoming more aware that its sanctions policy against Russia is futile, member of Russia’s State Duma (lower house) International Affairs Committee, Sergey Zheleznyak, said on Monday.

Axar.az reports citing TASS that on Sunday, the Financial Times wrote that the Council of Europe is considering lifting sanctions it imposed on Russia over the Ukrainian crisis in 2014 as it fears that Moscow could withdraw from the organization.

Secretary-General Thorbjorn Jagland said Russia’s potential withdrawal "would be a big step back for Europe."

"Europe increasingly understands that it cannot solve most serious problems and challenges without Russia, and is aware that the sanctions policy is senseless and futile, and anti-Russian hysteria is inadequate," Zheleznyak told TASS.

It is becoming more evident for "wise Europeans" that there is no link between the sanctions against Russia and the Ukrainian crisis. Besides, the anti-Russian sanctions deal a heavy blow to national economies in Europe, and arouses great discontent among citizens of European countries, he said.

"These tendencies were clearly demonstrated at the latest parliamentary elections in some European countries where the voters supported patriotically-minded parties," the lawmaker said.

This weekend, Belgrade hosted consultations of representatives of the European Parliament with the Russian delegation of parliamentarians, which confirmed that the understanding grows that there is no alternative for dialogue with Russia.

"We discussed a range of issues on the European security, countering terrorism, migration, the influence of technologies on the system of labor and social processes, climate change and environmental challenges. These issues can be efficiently solved only with cooperation of all parties, and together with European colleagues we have already agreed to continue consultations in the coming 2018," Zheleznyak said.
Russia "has always called for dialogue with foreign colleagues and on the equal and mutually respecting basis," he stressed.

In April 2014, Russia’s delegation to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) was stripped of its key rights, including the right to vote and take part in the assembly’s governing bodies, over the situation in Ukraine and Crimea’s reunification with Russia. The issue of restoring the rights of the Russian delegation was raised at PACE twice throughout 2015 but the sanctions are still in place. In response, Russia suspended its participation in the PACE. Russia refrained from applying for confirmation of its rights for 2016.