The Council of the European Union has decided to extend the restrictive measures against Russia for another six months - until July 31, 2026, according to an official statement published on the institution's website, BTA reports.
The sanctions were initially introduced in 2014, and after February 2022 significantly expanded in response to, in the words of the EU, Russia's unjustified, unlawful and illegal military aggression against Ukraine.
At the moment, the measures include a wide range of sectoral restrictions affecting trade, the financial sector, energy, technology, dual-use goods, industry, transport and the luxury goods market. Some of them provide for a ban on the import and transfer of crude oil and certain petroleum products from Russia to the EU.
The sanctions package also includes the exclusion of several Russian banks from the international SWIFT system, as well as the termination of broadcasting and licenses on the territory of the European Union of a number of Russian media outlets supported by the Kremlin. In addition, special mechanisms have been introduced that allow the EU to counteract attempts to circumvent the imposed sanctions.