28 January 2025 , 10:48
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The Council of the European Union renewed the block’s restrictive measures against Russia on Monday, extending them for an additional six months, until July 31, 2025.
“This will continue to deprive Moscow of revenues to finance its war. Russia needs to pay for the damage they are causing,” said Kaja Kallas, EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy.
Originally introduced in 2014, these sanctions were significantly expanded in February 2022 in response to Russia’s “unprovoked, unjustified, and illegal military aggression against Ukraine.”
The Council emphasized that the sanctions cover a broad range of sectoral restrictions, targeting trade, finance, energy, technology, dual-use goods, industry, transport, and luxury items.
Key provisions include a ban on importing or transferring seaborne crude oil and certain petroleum products from Russia to the EU, the removal of several Russian banks from the SWIFT payment system, and the suspension of broadcasting licenses for Kremlin-backed disinformation outlets within the EU. Additional measures aim to counteract sanctions evasion.
Beyond these economic penalties, the EU has imposed further restrictions on Russia’s destabilizing actions in Ukraine. These measures include restrictions on economic relations with Crimea, Sevastopol, and non-government-controlled areas in Donetsk, Kherson, Luhansk, and Zaporizhzhia.
Individual sanctions, including asset freezes on Russia’s Central Bank—amounting to up to 210 billion euros ($220.6 billion)—and travel bans, target numerous Russian entities and individuals. Diplomatic measures remain in place as well.
“As long as the illegal actions by the Russian Federation continue to violate fundamental rules of international law, including, in particular, the prohibition on the use of force, it is appropriate to maintain in force all the measures imposed by the EU and to take additional measures, if necessary,” the European Council stated.
The sanctions framework was first established on July 31, 2014, in response to Russia’s actions destabilizing Ukraine. Since the full-scale invasion in February 2022, the EU has implemented 15 unprecedented sanction packages against Russia.