The Council of the European Union announced on Monday that the EU will extend sectoral sanctions against Russia for another six months.
“The Council today extended the EU’s restrictive measures in view of the Russian Federation’s continued actions to destabilize the situation in Ukraine for a further six months, until 31 January 2026,” the Council said in a written statement.
The sanctions were first imposed in 2014, following Russia’s illegal annexation of the Ukrainian region of Crimea, and were extended in 2022 following the outbreak of the war in Ukraine. The measures cover restrictions in the areas of trade, finance, energy, technology, transport and luxury goods.
The statement said the sanctions include a ban on imports of Russian oil by sea, the exclusion of major banks from the international payment system SWIFT, and the suspension of Kremlin-backed media outlets within the EU.
“The EU has today officially decided to extend sectoral sanctions against Russia,” European foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas wrote on X.
She stressed the EU’s commitment to “increase pressure” on Moscow to end the war in Ukraine.
“Every sanction weakens Russia’s ability to wage war,” Kallas added.
