EU ambassadors fail to agree on extending Russia sanctions before Tuesday deadline

September 14, 2026 at 02:22 PM1 min

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EU ambassadors failed on Monday to agree on extending sanctions against Russia, which expire on Tuesday. They will reconvene later to continue discussions, with Slovakia demanding the removal of Russian businessmen Mikhail Fridman and Alisher Usmanov from the sanctions list.

Key Facts

EU ambassadors failed to agree on extending sanctions against Russia at a meeting on Monday.
The sanctions are set to expire on Tuesday.
Slovakia demanded the removal of Mikhail Fridman and Alisher Usmanov from the sanctions list.
France proposed removing only Alisher Usmanov from the list.
The ambassadors will reconvene later to continue discussions.

Sanctions Extension Deadlock

EU ambassadors failed to reach an agreement on extending sanctions against Russia during their Monday meeting. The current sanctions are due to expire on Tuesday, leaving little time for a resolution. The ambassadors plan to reconvene later to continue the discussions.

Divergent National Positions

Slovakia demanded that Russian businessmen Mikhail Fridman and Alisher Usmanov be removed from the sanctions list. France proposed excluding only Alisher Usmanov from the list. Another point of discussion is whether to extend the restrictive measures for six months, as has been done since 2014, or for twelve months. Slovakia is not ready to support an extension for a longer period.

Unanimity Requirement

Extending the restrictions requires a unanimous decision by all EU member states. Euronews reported that France's support for removing Usmanov from the list could complicate reaching an agreement.