EU officially extends sanctions against Russia for six months

The European Union today officially extended sectoral sanctions against Russia, EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Kaja Kallas said on Monday, writes UNN.

Today, the EU officially agreed to extend sectoral sanctions against Russia. We will continue to pressure Moscow to stop the war in Ukraine. Every sanction weakens Russia's ability to wage war

Details

"The (EU) Council today extended the EU restrictive measures in view of Russia's continued destabilizing actions against Ukraine for another 6 months, until January 31, 2026," the European institution noted.

These economic measures, first introduced in 2014, have been significantly expanded since February 2022 in response to Russia's unprovoked, unjustified, and illegal military aggression against Ukraine.

They currently consist of a wide range of sectoral measures, including restrictions on trade, finance, energy, technology and dual-use goods, industry, transport and luxury goods. They also cover: a ban on the import or transfer of oil and certain petroleum products supplied by sea from Russia to the EU, disconnection from SWIFT for several Russian banks, and suspension of activities and broadcasting licenses in the European Union for several Kremlin-backed disinformation media outlets. In addition, specific measures allow the EU to counter sanctions circumvention.

Recall

The next extension of sanctions against Russia was approved at the level of the European Council on the evening of June 26. The measures require unanimous approval every six months, and Hungary and Slovakia had previously threatened to hold this agreement hostage in exchange for concessions.