EU to Extend Sanctions Against Russia for Another Six Months

Photo from Ukrinform–UATV

The European Union will extend sanctions against Russia for another six months, reported Reuters.

The decision was made at the EU summit taking place in Brussels. It needs to be formally confirmed in the next few days.

The current sanctions are set to expire on July 31, and the new ones will take effect on Aug.1 They are not expected to change in content. Like the previous ones,  the new sanctions will prolong EU’s curbs on doing business with Russian banking, financial and energy sectors for six months until the end of January of next year.

President Petro Poroshenko has thanked the leaders of the EU for making this decision.

“Important news from Brussels: EU leaders have adopted a political decision to extend economic sanctions against an aggressor country. I am deeply grateful to all our friends in the EU for their unbreakable unity and solidarity with Ukraine. Words of special gratitude to Chancellor Merkel and President Emmanuel Macron for the objective assessment of the situation in occupied Donbas and the recognition of the clear responsibility of the Kremlin for its brutal non-fulfillment of the Minsk accords. The price of aggression will continue to increase if Russia continues to undermine the peace process and ignore its commitments. I believe that by a common front we will be able to force the aggressor to respect international law and restore the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine,” he wrote on Facebook.

The sanctions, which mainly hit Russia’s banking and energy sectors, were first imposed in the summer of 2014 after Russia illegally annexed Ukraine’s Crimean peninsula and began fueling the conflict in eastern Ukraine by backing pro-Russian separatists. The sanctions have been renewed every six months since 2014.

In a summit statement, the EU leaders also reiterated their “full support” for a United Nations resolution on the downing of MH17 over Donbas in 2014, killing over 200 people on board. An official investigation concluded that a Russian Buk missile system that was based at a Russian military base was used to shoot down the aircraft. Russia denies any responsibility.

Just a few days ago, on June 21, Ukraine sanctioned seven Russian political parties: United Russia, Liberal Democratic Party of Russia, Rodina, Democratic Party of Russia, Patriots of Russia, Agrarian Party of Russia and Communist Party of the Russian Federation. All the assets of the parties, located in the territory of Ukraine, are now blocked, and all licenses are canceled. Members of these parties are forbidden to withdraw any capital outside of the country. The sanctions are imposed for three years.

More than 10 thousand people have been killed in the conflict in Donbas so far.