Meeting on Wednesday 7 September, member states’ ambassadors to the EU confirmed, without discussion, the Council’s intention once again to extend for six months the EU restrictive measures against 146 persons and 37 entities, both Russian and Ukrainian, damaging or threatening Ukraine’s territorial integrity, sovereignty and independence, a European source has told EUROPE.
Once the legal acts have been formally adopted – by written procedure, according to our source – sanctions will continue until 15 March 2017. “No date has been set yet (for the written procedure). However, the legal acts should be adopted before 15 September”, when current sanctions end, the same source added.
Among those persons on whom sanctions have been imposed are Russian Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin, Adviser to the Russian President Sergey Glazyev, First Deputy Defence Minister Arkady Bakhin and Deputy Defence Minister Anatoly Antonov. Members of the Duma and of the Federation Council, those responsible for the annexation of Crimea by Russia and the main leaders of the Donetsk and Lugansk People’s Republics are also subject to the restrictive measures. “It is expected that no change will be made to the list of persons and entities under restrictive measures”, said our European source, stating, however, that information and statement of reasons for the listing of these persons and entities will be updated as necessary. (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant)