On Thursday 21 December, the member states extended, by written procedure, the European Union’s economic sanctions against Russia until 31 July 2018.
On 14 December, the European Council agreed at a political level to extend these measures which relate, inter alia, to the financial and energy sectors, particularly the oil sector, as well as dual use goods and include an embargo on arms exports and imports (see EUROPE 11926).
These measures, initially introduced on 31 July 2014 for a year (see EUROPE 11133) and tightened in September 2014 (see EUROPE 11153), were taken in response to Russia’s actions in eastern Ukraine. In March 2015, the European Council made the lifting of these restrictive measures dependent on the full implementation of the Minsk agreements, which have still not been applied.
In a press release issued on Wednesday, the spokesperson for the European External Action Service, made yet another appeal for the ceasefire in the eastern Ukraine to be respected, with, the spokesperson said, the humanitarian and security situations have deteriorating abruptly. In a press release she urged: “The ceasefire needs to be respected, military forces must disengage and withdraw heavy weapons to verifiable storage areas”. “It is crucial that the Minsk agreements are implemented by all sides”, she added, stating that the EU expects Russia “in particular to make full and immediate use of its influence on the separatists in this regard”.
The spokesperson said that the agreement reached a few hours earlier at the Trilateral Contact Group on a renewed ceasefire commitment for the holiday period was a “necessary step”, though immediate restraint in the meantime remains imperative.
The EEAS spokesperson also said that Russia’s withdrawal of its contingent from the Joint Centre for Control and Co-ordination (JCCC) also had serious negative implications for the maintenance of a ceasefire and on the stabilisation of the line of contact. She emphasised: “We expect both sides to take all necessary measures so that the JCCC can resume its critical role in resolving serious security issues on the ground”. (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant)