EU ambassadors again fail to extend Ukraine-related sanctions as Slovakia blocks one-year renewal
EU ambassadors have again failed to agree on renewing the individual sanctions regime covering more than 2,600 individuals and entities for violations of Ukraine's territorial integrity. Slovakia is blocking the proposed 12-month extension and is demanding both a return to a six-month review cycle and the removal of specific Russian oligarchs from the list. The next Coreper meeting is scheduled for 14 September, one day before the 15 September deadline for renewing the regime.
Key points
- Renewal of the individual sanctions regime covering over 2,600 listed persons and entities requires unanimity from all 27 EU member states.
- The formal deadline for renewing the regime is 15 September 2026.
- Slovakia is blocking the proposed 12-month extension and insists on a six-month review cycle instead.
- Bratislava is also demanding the delisting of Russian oligarchs, with Alisher Usmanov and Mikhail Fridman named; France is also reported to back Usmanov's removal.
- EU ambassadors failed to reach agreement at Coreper meetings on 2 September and 9 September, and at a subsequent discussion on 11 September.
- The next ambassadors' meeting is set for 14 September, one day before the deadline.
- Slovakia has publicly assured that the sanctions will be extended by the 15 September deadline.
Why it matters
The renewal requires unanimity from all 27 EU member states, meaning a single holdout can derail the entire regime that covers asset freezes and travel bans for more than 2,600 listed individuals and entities. Slovakia's push to revert to a six-month review cycle would reopen the package to political bargaining every half year, undercutting the June European Council decision to move to 12-month extensions. Bratislava's parallel demand to delist specific Russian oligarchs — including Alisher Usmanov and Mikhail Fridman, with France reportedly aligned on Usmanov — adds a second fault line that could complicate the deal even if the timeline dispute is resolved.
What happened
EU ambassadors meeting in Coreper on 9 September failed once again to agree on extending the individual sanctions regime targeting persons and entities responsible for violations of Ukraine's territorial integrity, sovereignty and independence. Slovakia is the only member state insisting on a six-month extension rather than the proposed 12-month term and is also pushing for the removal of specific Russian oligarchs from the existing list; France is reported to share that demand with respect to Alisher Usmanov. Earlier Coreper attempts on 2 September had already failed for the same reason, and a follow-up ambassadors' discussion on 11 September also ended without agreement. The EU Council last renewed this regime in March 2026, and the current formal deadline for renewal is 15 September 2026. Diplomats are continuing consultations, with the next ambassadors' meeting scheduled for 14 September; Slovakia's foreign ministry has publicly stated that the regular six-month review is expected to be completed by the deadline.
How Ukrainian sources describe it
All four source articles are Ukrainian and frame the blockage as a problem driven specifically by Slovakia. They foreground the procedural mechanics — the unanimity requirement, the sequence of failed Coreper meetings, the 14 September follow-up session — and emphasize that the regime at stake covers more than 2,600 listed persons and is tied directly to violations of Ukraine's territorial integrity. The coverage centers on the looming deadline risk rather than on the internal political dynamics inside Slovakia.
Where reporting differs
Source articles differ on whether Slovakia is demanding the removal of unspecified Russian oligarchs or specifically named ones: later reporting names Alisher Usmanov and Mikhail Fridman and identifies France as also pushing for Usmanov's removal, while earlier reporting mentions only unnamed oligarchs. Sources also disagree on the precise date of the latest failed Coreper session, with facts placing a failure on 9 September and a subsequent ambassadors' discussion and failure on 11 September.
Background
EU leaders agreed at the 18 June European Council summit, for the first time since Russia's invasion of Ukraine, to extend economic sanctions for 12 months rather than the previous six-month cycle; that shift became possible after Viktor Orbán's defeat in Hungarian parliamentary elections. During Orbán's tenure, Hungary regularly blocked EU sanctions and other decisions in exchange for concessions, with Slovakia frequently joining in. On 25 June the EU Council extended the broader economic sanctions against Russia for another 12 months, until 31 July 2027. Slovakia already blocked a Coreper attempt to renew the individual sanctions regime on 2 September, before the 9 September meeting described here. Slovakia's foreign ministry argues that a shorter review cycle is appropriate because circumstances — including a possible end to the war — could change.