EU ambassadors postpone decision on extending sanctions against 3,000 Russians to 9 September
The EU Committee of Permanent Representatives failed on 2 September to agree on extending individual sanctions against more than 3,000 Russians and Russian companies linked to violations of Ukraine's territorial integrity. The current measures expire on 15 September, and ambassadors postponed consideration to 9 September. Slovakia's resistance to a one-year extension is reported to be the obstacle.
Key points
- On 2 September, EU ambassadors in the Committee of Permanent Representatives (Coreper) failed to agree on extending individual sanctions against more than 3,000 Russian individuals and legal entities.
- The current sanctions expire on 15 September; consideration has been postponed to 9 September.
- The individual restrictive measures cover more than 3,000 individuals and companies responsible for violating Ukraine's territorial integrity.
- Slovakia is reported as the obstacle to agreement and does not support the one-year extension proposed by the Irish Presidency, preferring the traditional six-month extension.
- Slovakia is also reported to have proposed removing several names of Russians from the sanctions list; the names have not been made public.
- In June, EU leaders agreed for the first time since the start of Russia's aggression to extend EU economic sanctions against Russia for 12 months instead of the usual 6.
- On 25 June, the EU Council extended separate EU restrictive economic measures over Russia's actions in Ukraine for another 12 months, until 31 July 2027.
Why it matters
The sanctions target more than 3,000 Russian individuals and entities linked to violations of Ukraine's territorial integrity. If the measures are not extended before 15 September, they will lapse. Slovakia's resistance to a one-year extension marks a departure from the longer extension cycle that EU leaders agreed to in June.
What happened
On Wednesday 2 September, EU ambassadors in Brussels, meeting as the Committee of Permanent Representatives (Coreper), were unable to agree on extending individual sanctions against more than 3,000 Russian individuals and legal entities responsible for violating Ukraine's territorial integrity. The current measures are set to expire on 15 September, and the ambassadors postponed consideration to 9 September. According to reports, Slovakia's position was the obstacle: Slovakia is not prepared to back the one-year extension proposed by the Irish Presidency and supports the traditional six-month extension instead. Slovakia has also reportedly proposed removing several names from the list, which have not been made public.
Background
In June, EU leaders agreed for the first time since the start of Russia's aggression to extend EU economic sanctions against Russia for 12 months instead of the previous six months. That change became possible after Viktor Orbán's defeat in the Hungarian parliamentary elections. On 25 June, the EU Council extended separate EU restrictive economic measures over Russia's actions in Ukraine for another 12 months, until 31 July 2027. During Orbán's premiership, Hungary regularly blocked EU sanctions and other decisions while demanding concessions, and Slovakia often joined in the blocking.