Germany does not envision EU sanctions against Russia over Ukraine as long as de-escalation efforts continue, Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said on Friday. “At this time I believe it would be wrong to talk about new sanctions, because efforts are being made to reduce tensions,” he said in Lisbon. “From the German side, there will be no proposal for new sanctions,” Reuters quoted him as saying. “I don’t see a consensus in the EU for new sanctions.” In August, Maas said that German officials aimed to add a new dynamic to the Minsk process in eastern Ukraine. If the Minsk agreements are followed, they may discuss the issue of lifting sanctions against Russia, Maas said in an interview.