EU decides to extend sanctions against Russians and separatists for another 6 months
On March 9th, TASS reported that, according to a source in the EU Council, the ambassadors of the 28 EU countries at the planned meeting in Brussels decided to extend the blacklist sanctions against Russia and self-proclaimed republics in the East of Ukraine for another six months.
"Permanent representatives to the EU today approved the extension of the sanctions for six months," the source said, noting that now the decision must be officially approved by all 28 EU member states, and then published in the Official Journal of the EU.
According to the diplomat, the sanctions were extended against 146 citizens of Russia and Ukraine with three people excluded from the list. In addition, sanctions will continue to apply to 37 companies, he said.
In September of last year, the blacklist for Russia was extended for six months. At the time, it consisted of 149 people, and included representatives of the Russian leadership, Russian politicians, businessmen and law enforcement officers, as well as almost all members of the leadership of the self proclaimed Donetsk and Luhansk People's Republics (DPR and LPR). In addition, the list mentions 37 organizations, including all known military and political organizations of the DPR and LPR, with which it's forbidden for European businesses to maintain any relationships whatsoever. Everyone on the list is banned from entering the EU and their assets, if found in European banks, have to be frozen.
On March 2, US President Barack Obama extended sanctions against Russia for one year.