Council of the European Union (General Affairs)
The General Affairs Council is a configuration of the Council of the European Union composed of ministers responsible for European affairs or foreign affairs from the EU member states. It prepares European Council meetings and coordinates work across other Council configurations, covering institutional and horizontal issues such as EU enlargement, the multiannual budget and sanctions policy, where decisions often require unanimity.
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EU extends Ukraine-related sanctions three years but drops Usmanov and Fridman in compromise
EU ambassadors agreed on 22 September to extend the bloc's individual sanctions related to Ukraine's territorial integrity for 36 months, until 22 September 2029, in a compromise that removes Russian oligarchs Alisher Usmanov and Mikhail Fridman from the list. Latvia, the only holdout, lifted its veto and abstained, and announced it will impose its own national sanctions against the two men.