The EU has extended economic sanctions against Russia: how long will the restrictions be in effect?
22 December 16:15
On Monday, December 22, the Council of the European Union decided to extend economic sanctions against Russia for another six months, until July 31, 2026.
This was reported by "Komersant Ukrainian" with reference to the press service of the EU Council.
“Today, the Council (of the EU – ed.) extended the EU restrictive measures in view of the ongoing actions of the Russian Federation, which destabilize the situation in Ukraine, for another 6 months, until July 31, 2026,” the statement said.
As noted in Brussels, the restrictions cover a wide range of measures: trade, finance, energy, technology, dual-use goods, industry, transport and luxury goods.
The sanctions also include a ban on imports or maritime transfers of crude oil and certain petroleum products from Russia to the European Union, the removal of a number of Russian banks from the SWIFT system, and the suspension of the activities and licenses of several Kremlin-backed disinformation media outlets in the EU.
In addition, specific measures enable the EU to counteract sanctions circumvention.
“As long as the illegal actions of the Russian Federation continue to violate fundamental norms of international law, it is advisable to maintain all EU measures in force and take additional measures if necessary,” the statement said.
Brussels also emphasized that the EU is ready to further increase pressure on Russia, in particular by imposing additional sanctions.
Sanctions against Russia
As a reminder, the first restrictions against the Russian Federation were introduced in 2014 after the illegal annexation of Crimea, and since February 2022, they have been significantly expanded in response to Russia’s full-scale invasion.
In total, since February 24, 2022, the EU has adopted 19 sanctions packages in response to Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
Approved in October, the package includes a ban on imports of liquefied natural gas from Russia and toughens restrictions on transactions with Rosneft and Gazpromneft.
