The European Union extended sanctions against Russia for another six months

The Council of the European Union (EU) this Monday extended for another six months the sanctions imposed on Russia over the invasion of Ukraine that began almost two years ago.

In a statement, the EU Council announced that it had extended the sanctions regime against the Russian Federation until July 31, 2024, and also said that it would conduct a new assessment to reassess a possible extension.

Brussels imposed sanctions in 2014 in response to the annexation of the Crimean peninsula, a maneuver that some analysts see as a “rehearsal” for a conflict that will spread to virtually all of Ukraine in February 2022.

“At the moment [as sanções] “cover several sectors, including restrictions on trade, finance, technology, industry, transport and luxury goods,” the European bloc body said.

The sanctions also include a ban on the import or transfer of oil and oil products from Russia to the EU and the suspension of activities with Russian banks, as well as the blocking of all media outlets that, according to Brussels, promote “Kremlin disinformation.” [Presidência russa]”.

These sanctions measures are in addition to all those that the EU has approved in the last 12 sanctions packages, starting on February 24, 2022, the day the Russian military offensive began.

“As long as the illegal actions of the Russian Federation continue to violate the prohibition on the use of force, which is a serious violation of obligations under international law, it is appropriate to maintain all measures introduced by the EU and, if necessary, to go further,” he said. Brussels stressed in the published note.

The Russian military offensive into Ukraine has plunged Europe into its most serious security crisis since World War II (1939-1945).