The EU on Thursday extended sanctions against Russia for another six months over Moscow’s actions in Ukraine.
The Council of the EU unanimously adopted the extension on the restrictions, which were originally imposed in July 2014 following Russia’s annexation of Crimea, citing Moscow’s “actions destabilising the situation in Ukraine.”
The sanctions target the financial, energy and defense sectors, as well as the area of dual-use goods — products that can be for either military or civilian use. The measures include limiting access to EU markets for five major Russian majority state-owned financial institutions and their majority-owned subsidiaries, as well as for three energy and three defense companies.
The sanctions also entail a ban on arms trade and curtailing Russian access to certain “sensitive” technologies that can be used for oil production and exploration.
EU leaders have said that the sanctions will be lifted once all sides in Ukraine commit to the ceasefire agreed in the Minsk accords.