Diplomats say EU set to extend sanctions against Russia
| Publisher | Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty |
| Publication Date | 6 December 2016 |
| Cite as | Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, Diplomats say EU set to extend sanctions against Russia, 6 December 2016, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/5975a2fda.html [accessed 7 June 2023] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
December 06, 2016
Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko at an EU-Ukraine summit in Brussels on November 24
BRUSSELS – European Union diplomats say EU leaders are highly likely to prolong economic sanctions on Russia through July 31, 2017, when they meet in Brussels for a summit next week.
Several EU diplomats close to talks on the sanctions have told RFE/RL that EU leaders might give a green light for the six-month extension of the sanctions without a discussion when they meet on December 15.
EU ministers or ambassadors would formally adopt the extension a few days later, according to the diplomats, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the sensitive geopolitical matter publicly.
The sanctions are currently set to expire at the end of January.
Speaking at an event on Ukraine in Brussels on December 6, the U.S. charge d'affaires to the EU, Adam Shub, said the United States is confident that "there will be no easing of sanctions until Russia fully complies with Minsk" – a reference to a February 2015 agreement aimed to end the conflict between Kyiv's forces and Russia-backed separatists in eastern Ukraine.
"I think that our European partners are on the same wavelength," he said.
Sanctions targeting Russia's banking and energy sectors were first imposed in the summer of 2014, in response to Russia's seizure of Ukraine's Crimean Peninsula and support for the separatists.
Rikard Jozwiak covers the European Union and NATO for RFE/RL from his base in Brussels. Write to him at [email protected]
Link to original story on RFE/RL website
