EU Extends Sanctions on 2,500 Russian Individuals, Entities Over Ukraine War

The European Union has unanimously agreed to extend sanctions on more than 2,500 Russian individuals and entities, including President Vladimir Putin, for another six months in response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine. This extension, approved by ambassadors from the bloc's 27 member states, came after Hungary and Slovakia dropped their demands to remove certain names from the blacklist, maintaining a strong EU consensus despite previous veto attempts by these countries. The sanctions include freezing bank accounts, travel bans, and target key figures such as government officials, military leaders, oligarchs, and those involved in war crimes like the abduction of Ukrainian children. EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas announced that work is ongoing to finalize a new sanctions package that will impose additional restrictions on Russian oil sales, shadow oil tankers, and banks to further limit funding for the war. Efforts to extend the sanctions period to 12 months to prevent veto exploitation were rejected, keeping the renewal cycle at six months. This decision comes amid stalled peace efforts pushed by U.S. President Donald Trump and heightened tensions following recent NATO actions against Russian drones over Poland.