EU extends sanctions over chemical weapons use for another year
FILE PHOTO: European Union flags flutter outside the EU Commission headquarters in Brussels, Belgium July 16, 2025. REUTERS/Yves Herman//File Photo
The European Union has stepped up pressure on those involved in the development and use of chemical weapons. The Council of the EU has officially extended individual sanctions for another year, until October 16, 2026. The decision was made to prevent the spread of banned substances and strengthen the implementation of international obligations to destroy them.
The extension of the sanctions is stated in a statement from the press service of the Council of the EU.
25 individuals and 6 legal entities have been sanctioned. Their assets in the EU are frozen, any financial or economic transactions in their favor are prohibited. All those on the list are also banned from entering the European Union.
Brussels emphasizes: the use of toxic substances as weapons is a crime that must be strongly condemned in all cases. The EU seeks not only to curb the further proliferation of chemical weapons, but also to support the full implementation of the Convention on their Prohibition and Destruction.
The European approach to such threats was formed back in 2018, when the EU Council first agreed on a special sanctions mechanism. Later, on May 20, 2025, it was strengthened – three more Russian organizations suspected of developing and using chemical weapons during the war against Ukraine were added to the list.
As you know, the European Union previously decided to extend individual sanctions against Russia for another year – until October 9, 2026. The lists include traitor Viktor Medvedchuk.
As a reminder, earlier, Head of State Volodymyr Zelensky announced that Ukraine had coordinated its sanctions against Russia with the Japanese government . He signed a decree expanding the list of companies and executives involved in financing the Russian war machine.