EU ambassadors agree to extend Russia sanctions over aggression in Crimea, Donbas

09.09.2021 09:20

Ukrinform

The Council of Permanent Representatives of the EU member states at the level of ambassadors (COREPER) on Wednesday supported the decision to extend for the next six months the package of sanctions for actions undermining the sovereignty and independence of Ukraine.

That’s according to Ukrinform’s source in diplomatic circles in Brussels.

"COREPER has green-lighted foreign policy agenda items. The one concerning Ukraine has yet to be approved by the EU Council in writing before it is published in the Official Journal of the European Union. Only after that will it be possible to discuss its content in more detail," the source said.

Ukraine has welcomed the decision of the Committee of Permanent Representatives of the EU to extend sanctions against 177 individuals and 48 legal entities who undermine the sovereignty of our state.

"We welcome the decision of the EU Permanent Representatives Committee to extend for the next six months, until March 15, 2022, the EU's personal sanctions against 177 individuals and 48 legal entities in connection with their actions that undermine/threaten the territorial integrity, sovereignty, and independence of Ukraine," First Deputy Foreign Minister Emine Dzheppar wrote on Twitter.

According to the diplomat, the EU sanctions should continue until the full deoccupation of the Ukrainian territories. Ukraine will work with the EU to expand the scope of sanctions, including to those responsible for rights violations, including the illegal detentions in Crimea on September 3 and 4.

As Ukrinform reported, the European Union on March 17, 2014, applied restrictive measures for actions undermining or threatening the territorial integrity, sovereignty, and independence of Ukraine, after Russia unleashed aggression against Ukraine.

Since then, the EU Council has been extending the package every six months. The last time such a decision was made was on March 12, 2021, when the sanctions were extended until September 15, 2021. The restrictive measures include travel restrictions, asset freezes, and a ban on financing the banned persons and entities.

At the moment, sanctions apply to 177 persons and 48 entities.

In addition, restrictive measures taken by the EU in response to the Ukraine crisis include economic sanctions against certain sectors of Russian economy, which were extended for six months until January 31, 2022, as well as restrictive measures in response to the illegal annexation of Crimea and Sevastopol, which are limited to the territory of the Crimea and Sevastopol, and which were extended for a year, until June 23, 2022.