EU decided to extend economic sanctions against Russia | News from Germany about Europe

During the summit on December 16, the heads of state and government of the European Union decided to extend economic sanctions against the Russian Federation. On Friday, December 17, the President of the European Council Charles Michel wrote about this on Twitter.

According to him, the decision was made “unanimously”.

“We call on Russia to fulfill its part of the deal and move on to the implementation of the Minsk agreements,” he stressed.

Until the end of July 2022

The sanctions were extended by six months – until July 31, 2022. Formally, the decision on them will be fixed at the end of January 2022 after the end of the current restrictions.

EU sanctions were first imposed in July 2014 due to Moscow’s aggressive actions against Ukraine. They affect the financial, energy and defense sectors of the Russian economy.

In March 2015, EU leaders decided to link the lifting of the restrictive measures regime with the full implementation of the Minsk agreements. Since they were not implemented until the end of December 2015, the EU Council extended the economic sanctions until 31 July 2016. After which they were repeatedly extended for 6 months. The decision was taken each time after assessing the implementation of the agreements. At this stage, penalties are valid until January 31, 2022.

EU summit threatened Moscow with powerful sanctions

The EU summit on the night of December 17 unanimously threatened Russia with powerful sanctions in case of further aggression against Kiev. “The European Council underlines the urgent need for Russia to reduce tensions created by the buildup of troops near its borders with Ukraine and aggressive rhetoric,” the statement said following the talks.

EU leaders reaffirmed their full support for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine. “The response to any further military aggression against Ukraine will be large-scale consequences and a harsh cost, including restrictive measures coordinated with partners,” the communiqué said. At the same time, the European Council expressed support for diplomatic efforts, in particular in the “Normandy format”, with the aim of fully implementing the Minsk agreements.

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