EU envoys extend Russia sanctions by seven days to debate six-month renewal, EU presidency says
- On Monday, EU ambassadors in Brussels extended the Russia sanctions list by seven days until September 22 after failing to agree on a six-month renewal, following France and Slovakia's push to delist Russian billionaire Alisher Usmanov.
- The EU sanctioned the 73-year-old Russian-Uzbek billionaire in 2022, citing 'particularly close ties' to President Vladimir Putin and his role consolidating Kremlin control over media assets including VK and Kommersant.
- France cited an unspecified 'national security issue' and requests from 'international partners'—potentially Azerbaijan, Turkey, and Uzbekistan—to justify its position, causing 'huge frustration' among other European governments.
- Italy and Croatia have since backed the push to delist the billionaire, reportedly as a compromise to secure renewal of the broader sanctions regime, which requires unanimous approval from all 27 EU member states.
- This one-week extension marks an unprecedented delay since the 2022 invasion of Ukraine, with member states facing a critical September 22 deadline to resolve the stalemate or risk the entire sanctions list lapsing.
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91 Articles
The new deadline is midnight on September 22nd.
EU ambassadors extended sanctions against Russia by seven days on Monday evening after failing to agree on a six-month extension due to opposition from France and Slovakia. A longer agreement is expected to be reached within the week.
Victor Orban can no longer block Russia sanctions in the EU - others are doing so now. The extension of an extensive package of measures threatens to fail due to the resistance of two countries. They want to remove a certain oligarch from the sanction list.
'Not the time to shield Russian oligarchs,' Zelensky says as EU delays sanctions decision amid pressure from France
The EU now has until Sept. 22 to renew its sanctions on 2,600 Russian entities and individuals. Attempts to reach an extension agreement have been stalled by calls to remove Russian billionaires from the list.
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