EU Council renews sanctions on Russia for 6 more months

By Ahmet Gencturk

ATHENS (AA) – The EU Council on Monday announced that it renewed the sanctions on Russia for 6 more months.

“The council today renewed the EU restrictive measures in view of the Russian Federation's continuing actions destabilizing the situation in Ukraine for a further 6 months, until 31 January 2025,” it said in a statement.

The sanctions presently include wide-range sectoral measures such restrictions on trade, finance, technology and dual-use goods, industry, transport and luxury goods.

The measures also include a ban on the import or transfer of seaborne crude oil and certain petroleum products from Russia to the EU, exclusion of several Russian banks from SWIFT system and the suspension of the broadcasting activities and licenses of the numerous Russian news outlets in the EU, according to the council.

It also said: “As long as the illegal actions by the Russian Federation continue to violate the prohibition on the use of force, which is a serious breach of obligations under international law, it is appropriate to maintain in force all the measures imposed by the EU and to take additional measures, if necessary.”

Sanctions on Russia by the EU Council were first adopted on July 31, 2014, in response to the Russian occupation of Crimea and the parts of the eastern Ukraine, including Donetsk, and Luhansk.

Since Feb. 24, 2022, the EU has adopted 14 comprehensive packages of sanctions in response to Russia’s attack on Ukraine.