EU's Kallas urges envoys to extend Russia sanctions before September 22 deadline

September 22, 2026 at 07:10 AM2 min

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EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas urged member states' envoys to extend sanctions against Russia over the war in Ukraine ahead of a September 22 meeting. The envoys failed to agree on a six-month extension on September 14 and face a midnight deadline. Disputes center on removing billionaires Alisher Usmanov and Mikhail Fridman from the list.

Key Facts

Kaja Kallas called on EU permanent representatives to extend sanctions against Russia, calling them a key element of the response to the war in Ukraine.
The next meeting of EU permanent representatives is scheduled for the morning of September 22.
On September 14, EU envoys failed to agree on a six-month extension and extended the current regime only until midnight on September 22.
Slovakia sought the removal of Alisher Usmanov and Mikhail Fridman from the sanctions list, while France pushed for Usmanov's removal and Luxembourg for Fridman's.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said Usmanov and Fridman were sanctioned for belonging to the 'Russian aggressive regime' and that nothing has changed since.

Sanctions Extension Dispute

EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas urged member states' envoys to extend sanctions against Russia over the war in Ukraine ahead of a September 22 meeting. She called sanctions a key element of the EU's response to the war and said the bloc aims to complete negotiations on extending the measures quickly. The next meeting of EU permanent representatives is scheduled for the morning of September 22, where the removal of Alisher Usmanov and Mikhail Fridman from the sanctions list will be discussed. On September 14, EU envoys failed to agree on a six-month extension and extended the current regime only until midnight on September 22.

Member State Positions

Slovakia sought the removal of Alisher Usmanov and Mikhail Fridman from the sanctions list, while France pushed for Usmanov's removal and Luxembourg for Fridman's. Reuters reported on September 21 that Luxembourg also supported removing Fridman from the measures. Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said Usmanov and Fridman were sanctioned for belonging to the 'Russian aggressive regime' and that nothing has changed since.