EU fails to finalize Russia sanctions deal, ambassadors to reconvene hours before deadline
Coreper II, the EU ambassadors’ body, said talks would resume at 8 a.m. Brussels time on Sept. 22 "with the aim of finalising agreement."
EU diplomats failed to reach an agreement on extending sanctions against Russia before the deadline on Sept. 21, with negotiations resuming the following day at 8 a.m. The dispute centered on whether Russian businessmen Alisher Usmanov and Mikhail Fridman should be removed from the sanctions list. Latvia opposed the compromise, while France and Slovakia pushed for Usmanov's removal.
The sanctions, which include asset freezes and travel bans, require unanimous approval from all 27 EU members. Failure to finalize the deal risks allowing the sanctions to expire, as a temporary seven-day extension is in place. Ukraine strongly opposes removing Usmanov and Fridman from the sanctions list, arguing that delisting would signal weakness and encourage Moscow to escalate the conflict.
Written by urgent.news from Kyiv Independent's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
Also reported by 5 other outlets
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- EU Foreign Policy Chief Calls For Continued Sanctions On Russia ndtv.com
