KIEV, March 2 – President Petro Poroshenko during a meeting with German Foreign Minister Sigmar Garbriel, who is on his first visit to Ukraine, noted the importance of maintaining sanctions against Russia and strengthening them, the official website of the Ukrainian president reported on Thursday.

"The head of state stressed that a new escalation of violence in Donbas started by militants, the recognition of documents of the so-called LPR and DPR, the seizure of Ukrainian enterprises is another evidence of Russia's aggression against Ukraine and requires involvement of new sanction tools by the EU," the statement reads.