The EU extended sanctions on Russia until September. Hungary and Slovakia unopposed

On Saturday afternoon, all 27 member states agreed to extend individual sanctions against Russia for another six months, until mid-September this year. The extension of the sanctions, contrary to announcements, was not blocked by Hungary or Slovakia.

The written procedure officially approving the extension of sanctions against persons and entities involved in Russian aggression against Ukraine began on Saturday morning and ended after 16. The sanctions were extended for another six months, i.e. until September 15, 2026.

As part of the review of the sanctions list, Member States decided to remove two persons from the list whose inclusion turned out to be legally unjustified and to remove five deceased persons from the list.

Contrary to announcements, neither Hungary nor Slovakia blocked the extension of the sanctions. Russian oligarchs associated with Vladimir Putin were also not removed from the sanctions list Alisher Usmanov and Mikhail Fridman. Bratislava demanded their removal from the list in exchange for withdrawing the veto on Friday.

On the so-called The EU blacklist includes over 2,700 people and entities involved in Russia's war against Ukraine. The sanctions include travel restrictions for individuals, an asset freeze and a ban on making funds or other economic resources available to persons and entities on the list.

Sanctions are extended every six months by a unanimous decision of all capitals. The current list will expire on Sunday, March 15.

From Brussels Jowita Kiwnik Pargana (PAP)

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