EU extends Russia sanctions for 6 months
Ampliar
A woman leaves a gift shop in downtown Kyiv, Ukraine, on March 13, 2015. EFE / ROMAN PILIPEY
Brussels, Mar 13 (EFE).- The European Union, or EU, officially agreed on Friday to extend for a period of six months, until Sept. 15, the sanctions imposed against 150 Russian officials and Ukrainian rebel leaders, and 37 entities because of their role in destabilizing Ukraine.
The sanctions include travel bans and asset freezes.
“This decision gives legal effect to a political decision taken at the Foreign Affairs Council on Jan. 29 2015,” the EU council explained in a statement issued on its official website.
Further details of the restrictive measures will be published Saturday in the official journal of the European Union.
The blacklist includes figures close to Russian President Vladimir Putin such as Deputy Prime Minister Dimtry Rogozin, and pro-Russian rebels like Admiral Aleksandr Viktorovich, the commander of the Russian Black Sea Fleet, and Crimea Prime Minister Sergey Axionov.
European leaders may discuss the possibility of tightening the restrictions on Russia at their two-day meeting starting March 19 in Brussels, however, European sources told Efe that even the countries that maintain a tough stance toward Russia believe that this is not the time to impose more sanctions.
The same sources stressed that the EU is waiting for the implementation of the Minsk agreements, and respecting the cease-fire agreed upon between Russia and Ukraine on Feb. 12.