EU extends sanctions against Russia ahead of Putin and Trump meeting
The European Union has extended economic sanctions against Russia for another six months, according to a corresponding decision published on the European Council website.
Rikard Jozwiak, a Brussels correspondent of Radio Liberty, reported earlier that preparation for this decision was under way.
“The EU has prolonged its economic sanctions against Russia by six months,” Jozwiak wrote. “The decision will be published in the EU official journal on Monday, a week before the Helsinki meeting between Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin.”
The EU Council made the political decision to extend economic sanctions against Russia for another six months at the EU summit in late June.
Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko expressed gratitude to the leaders of the European Union for the decision to extend sanctions against Russia. Ukraine has expanded its own sanctions list to synchronize its sanctions with the international community.
The EU’s sanctions against Russia are layered. The individual sanctions were introduced first. They were imposed against citizens of Russia and Ukraine who the EU considers to be responsible for undermining Ukraine’s territorial integrity. The validity period of those affected ends on September 15, 2018.
Sanctions prohibiting European companies from working with the Russian-annexed Crimea are currently in place until 23 June 2019.