The EU blocked the extension of sanctions against Russia: what was the reason?

European Union ambassadors have failed to agree on extending sanctions against Russia, which target more than 3,000 people and companies, beyond the September 15 deadline.

This is reported by Politico, citing five EU officials.

According to the publication, representatives of the European Union countries are to meet again on September 14 to try to reach a compromise before the sanctions expire.

If an agreement cannot be reached, the restrictions on more than three thousand Russians and companies will automatically expire.

One of the reasons for the dispute was Slovakia’s position. Bratislava demands that Russian-Uzbek billionaire Alisher Usmanov and Russian oligarch Mikhail Fridman be removed from the sanctions list.

According to Politico, France supported the removal of Usmanov from the list, but not Fridman. This position caused discontent among other EU countries.

“Amid the rise of hybrid threats and Russian drone strikes just a kilometer from the Polish border, it is hard to believe that France is actually asking for this,” said one diplomat.

Another point of contention was the term of the sanctions extension. Some countries are in favor of extending the restrictions for a year, while Slovakia is not ready to support this option and insists on a shorter term.

As we will recall, earlier, EU foreign policy chief Kaia Kallas said that the European Union may increase sanctions pressure on Russia this fall. Separately, Brussels plans to intensify the fight against the Russian “shadow fleet.”

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