Russia will not chase Europe over sanctions: Lavrov
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov says Moscow will never chase Europe for sanctions relief. He said Russia does not need goodwill from European countries or any other group. Lavrov made the remarks during an event in Vladivostok. He said Russia remains confident in its national dignity and independence. Speaking at a lecture during the Eastern […]
The Slovak government has rejected the European Union's proposal to extend the individual sanctions against Russia for a period of 12 months, according to three diplomats speaking to POLITICO. The sanctions, which have been extended multiple times before, are set to expire on September 15. The EU had hoped for a longer extension to avoid frequent renegotiations, but such an extension needed the unanimous agreement of all 27 member states.
Slovakia, under pressure from former Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, was the only country to oppose the proposal. The six-month renewal cycle, a compromise, allowed the former Prime Minister to push for concessions from other EU governments. After the closed-door negotiations, EU diplomats could not reach an agreement on the proposal, with each diplomat commenting on the situation anonymously.
The Slovak government's spokesperson declined to comment but shared a statement from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs: "Discussions on the regular six-month review of the sanctions regime ... are ongoing and are expected to be concluded by 15 September 2026." The talks also included the addition of 27 more individuals and companies to the sanctions list, freezing their assets in the EU.
The sanctions policy experts will now deliberate on the changes and the extension. This is one of the EU's two main sanctions frameworks, alongside economic sanctions, which were originally set to be renewed every six months. However, the economic sanctions were extended for 12 months in June, with the new extension set to last until July 2027.
Written by urgent.news from Politico EU's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
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