In the aftermath of Russia’s annexation of Crimea in March 2014, and the Kremlin’s support for insurgents in Eastern Ukraine, the European Union and the United States imposed wide-ranging economic penalties against Russia.

Image Prime Minister Volodymyr B. Groysman of Ukraine earlier this month. Credit... Valentyn Ogirenko/Reuters

European officials on Friday extended sanctions on doing business in Crimea, and are scheduled to consider next week whether to extend broader sanctions. But some European officials appear keen for a thaw with Russia.

“If our relationship today is troubled and marked by mistrust, it is not broken beyond repair,” Jean-Claude Juncker, the European Commission president, said Thursday on a visit to St. Petersburg. “We need to mend it, and I believe we can.”

On that, the Ukrainian prime minister was adamant. He said it was imperative to maintain the strictest penalties, and he repeatedly referred to Russia as an “aggressor” that threatens the security and sovereignty of other countries.

“Countries that support the removal of sanctions will turn into the aggressor’s accomplices,” he said.