BRUSSELS – The Council of the European Union is to prolong the sanctions it imposed on Russia in 2014 after Kremlin troops invaded and occupied Ukraine’s Crimean peninsula and began a military intervention in Ukraine’s Donbas.
The council took a decision on Sept. 13 to extend the sanctions for another six months, until March 15, 2019. The sanctions, which consist of consist of asset freezes and travel restrictions, affect 155 individuals and 44 companies and organizations.
The official decision will be published in the EU’s official journal on Sept. 14.
According to the council, after assessing the situation with Russia’s infringement of Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, there was no reason to change the sanctions regime. The relevant information and statement on the reasons for imposing the sanctions were updated as necessary.
The EU has also imposed economic sanctions targeting specific sectors of the Russian economy, which are currently set to expire on Jan. 31, 2019, and specific restrictive measures in response to the illegal occupation of Crimea and Sevastopol, which are limited to the territory of Crimea and Sevastopol, and are currently set to expire on June 23, 2019.
