Western news agencies have published the statements of the president of France, according to which the politician openly calls for lifting sanctions against Russia. Francois Hollande made a proposal to discuss a possible cancellation of economic sanctions imposed on Russia. In addition, the politician noted that the international community will take this step only if Moscow starts to contribute in resolving the conflict in Ukraine. "I will go to Astana on January 15 on one condition, which is that there should be a possibility of making new progress. If it's just to meet and talk without making any actual advances then there's no point. But I think there will be progress,” Hollande told reporters going on a scheduled but then canceled summit in Kazakhstan. The meeting in Astana in Norman format with the participation of leaders of Germany, France, Russia and Ukraine was scheduled on January 15. In fact, this is not the first statement of Hollande. At the end of November he also tried to reduce tensions between Russia and the Western countries and spoke in favor of lifting sanctions. "I believe that if today Russia makes the gestures that we expect, there is no need of new sanctions, and you need to think, on the contrary, as we ourselves begin to de-escalation,” the French leader said. According to the president of France, it is not necessary to be an expert in economics to understand that the sanctions imposed by the West have had a significant negative impact on the economy of the European countries. Paris is trying to do everything possible to enable Russia and France to find a compromise solution and a way out of the crisis.