European Union sanctions against Russia are damaging Italian businesses, Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte said on Tuesday, underscoring growing unhappiness in Rome over the long-running curbs on Moscow.

EU leaders imposed sanctions in 2014 to penalise Russia for annexing Crimea from Ukraine and backing rebels fighting government troops in the east of Ukraine.

The curbs on doing business with Russian banking, financial and energy sectors were renewed in June but expire at the end of January and are up for discussion in Brussels.

Italy has not yet confirmed that it will agree to extending them.

"Sanctions, for their own sake, only damage our companies, which we intend to protect, as well as Russia's civil society," Conte said, addressing parliament ahead of an EU summit in Brussels on Thursday.