EU extends sanctions against Putin and Lavrov for only seven days
EU ambassadors in Brussels agreed to extend the personal sanctions regime tied to Russia's aggression against Ukraine for just seven days, as Slovakia and France continue pushing to remove two Russian oligarchs from the list. Diplomats hope to reach consensus within the week.
The Committee of Permanent Representatives (Coreper) of EU member states in Brussels agreed on September 14 to extend the sanctions regime over violations of Ukraine's territorial integrity and sovereignty for only seven days — until midnight on Tuesday, September 22.
According to representatives of the Irish presidency, the short extension was agreed to give member states additional time to thoroughly review proposals for renewing the sanctions lists.
The list includes Russian President Vladimir Putin, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, and other senior Russian officials. Irish diplomats stressed that renewing the sanctions lists is necessary to keep undermining Russia's war machine and to maintain pressure on individuals and entities that support it, facilitate it, or benefit from it.
Root of the dispute
The extension process has stalled because Slovakia is demanding the removal of Russian oligarchs Mikhail Fridman and Alisher Usmanov from the list, while France joined the demand to remove Usmanov on September 11. A day later, diplomatic sources explained the reasoning behind France's position on Usmanov.
EU ambassadors already failed on September 11 to agree on extending personal sanctions because of the demands from Slovakia and France to change the lists. A similar situation occurred during the previous renewal on March 14, when Slovakia also pushed until the last moment to have Fridman and Usmanov removed from the list.
