EU fails to agree on extending sanctions against Putin and Lavrov

The EU's Committee of Permanent Representatives (Coreper) has once again failed to reach agreement on extending the European Union's sanctions against Russia for its violations of Ukraine's territorial integrity. It will meet again on Monday 21 September.

Source: European Pravda's correspondent in Brussels, citing several European diplomats

Details: The decision on extending EU sanctions against Russia for its violations of Ukraine's territorial integrity has been postponed until 21 September.

"The ambassadors met at Coreper this morning but failed to reach an agreement on extending the sanctions. They agreed to continue the discussion on Monday," a source told European Pravda.

The sanctions are due to expire at midnight on Tuesday 22 September.

The EU sanctions regime in response to Russia's violations of Ukraine's territorial integrity and sovereignty covers almost 3,000 individuals and entities deemed responsible for Russia's war against Ukraine, including Kremlin ruler Vladimir Putin and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov.

Background:

• European Pravda reported that on 14 September the EU extended the sanctions regime for seven days, as Slovakia and France are continuing to insist that two Russian oligarchs be removed from the sanctions list.
• Earlier, European Pravda sources in French diplomatic circles explained why Paris wants sanctions against Alisher Usmanov to be lifted. It later emerged that France plans to "trade" Usmanov's removal from the sanctions list for the release of several French citizens currently imprisoned in Azerbaijan.
• The individual sanctions were last extended on 14 March, when Slovakia continued pushing until the last moment for Russian oligarchs Mikhail Fridman and Alisher Usmanov to be dropped from the sanctions list.

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