Slovakia blocks EU plan to extend Russia sanctions for 12 months
Slovakia’s government rejected a proposal to extend the European Union’s individual sanctions regime against Russia for 12 months, according to three diplomats who spoke to Politico on Sept. 3.
Slovakia has blocked a proposal to extend the European Union's sanctions against Russia for an additional 12 months, according to diplomats speaking with Politico on September 3. The sanctions, which have been extended in six-month increments multiple times, are set to expire on September 15. The European Union had hoped to prolong the sanctions to prevent frequent renegotiations, but such a decision requires consensus from all 27 member countries.
The six-month cycles were initially a compromise to address concerns from former Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban. Hungary utilized these deadlines to exert pressure on other EU nations and secure concessions. However, the EU ambassadors were unable to reach a consensus on the proposal, with Slovakia being the sole country to oppose it.
An EU diplomat noted that the country had previously expressed reservations about the extension. A spokesperson for the Slovak government, while declining to provide further comment, distributed a statement from the Foreign Ministry indicating that discussions on the regular review of the sanctions regime are ongoing and anticipated to be finalized by September 15, 2026.
Written by urgent.news from New Voice of Ukraine's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
