EU ambassadors approve extension of sanctions against Russia for another year
The ambassadors of the European Union agreed to extend the sanctions against Russia, that were imposed for the annexation of Crimea for another year. The decision was made in Brussels on Wednesday, at a meeting of Committee of the Permanent Representatives of the Governments of the Member States to the European Union (COREPER), reports Interfax-Ukraine.
This decision should also be approved by the EU Council next week. The sanctions were introduced in June 2014 and are extended annually by one year. The last time such a decision was made on June 23, 2018.
The EU has applied four types of sanctions against Russia: Crimean sanctions, for actions that threaten the territorial integrity of Ukraine, "Ukrainian list", which includes former officials of a time when fugitive President Yanukovych was in power for abuse of state funds (extended until March 6, 2020) and sanctions related to the failure to fulfill the Minsk agreements.
The decision concerning the "Minsk sanctions" is extended every six months. The decision concerning them will be taken at the EU summit, which will be held on June 20 in Brussels.
On May 20, at the meeting with representatives of the US Administration and Congress, who arrived in Kyiv to participate in the official President's inauguration ceremony, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky urged the United States to strengthen sanctions against Russia.