EU prolongs sanctions on Russian individuals, keeping blacklist broadly intact

Published connected 12/09/2025 - 11:58 GMT+2 •Updated 12:53

The European Union has agreed to prolong for different six months nan sanctions connected much than 2,500 individuals and entities accused of propping up Russia's full-scale penetration of Ukraine and undermining nan country’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.

The blacklist includes President Vladimir Putin, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, lawmakers, high-ranking generals, oligarchs, business leaders, propagandists and mercenaries, arsenic good arsenic those responsible for nan abduction of Ukrainian children from nan occupied territories, a warfare crime for which Putin is wanted.

The determination to renew was taken connected Friday during a gathering of ambassadors successful Brussels, nan Danish presidency of nan EU Council confirmed.

The talks were coming dangerously adjacent to nan ineligible deadline of 15 September.

The main constituent of contention was a petition by Hungary and Slovakia to region definite names from nan blacklist. After respective rounds of discussions, nary sanction was spared for governmental reasons. An unspecified number of entries were deleted for method reasons.

Earlier this year, Budapest succeeded successful excluding three names.

In parallel, nan Danish presidency had sounded a alteration to nan rules to widen nan sanctions for 12 months, alternatively than nan accepted six months. The alteration was designed to curb nan exploitation of veto powers that unanimity grants.

Both Hungary and Slovakia have utilized their veto to extract concessions, infuriating different personnel states. The 2 Central European countries are vocal critics of sanctions against Russia, moreover if they person stopped short of derailing them altogether.

In nan end, nan amendment was rejected, meaning six months stay nan norm.

The bloc antecedently tried to instal a 12-month model to shield Russia's €210 cardinal stiff assets from veto shocks. That effort besides failed.

Friday's determination comes amid a renewed push betwixt Brussels and Washington to coordinate their unit run connected nan Kremlin and beforehand negotiations.

The approach, however, diverges: while nan White House is asking for punishing tariffs connected China and India, nan 2 largest importers of Russian oil, nan Commission is moving connected a new information of economical sanctions, targeting nan "shadow fleet" and entities that alteration circumvention. The bloc has besides promised to accelerate nan phase-out of Russian fossil fuels, presently scheduled to beryllium completed by nan extremity of 2027.

"We conscionable extended our sanctions connected Russia," said High Representative Kaja Kallas.

"At nan aforesaid time, we are finalising activity connected nan 19th package – looking into further curbs connected Russian lipid sales, protector lipid tankers, and banks. We'll support choking disconnected nan rate for Putin's war."

Europeans stay mostly unconvinced astir Donald Trump’s willingness to tighten nan screws connected Moscow. Following nan unprecedented incursion of Russian drones into Polish airspace earlier this week, Trump appeared to echo nan Kremlin’s talking points by suggesting nan incident "could’ve been a mistake".

Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk replied: "We would besides wish that nan drone onslaught connected Poland was a mistake. But it wasn't. And we cognize it."

This article has been updated.