March 13. /TASS/. The European Union prolonged sanctions against Russian and Ukrainian individuals and legal entities for six months until September 2017, the EU Council said on Monday.
"The assessment of the situation did not justify a change in the sanctions regime," the EU Council said.
- Hungarian top diplomat says EU anti-Russian sanctions harm Minsk deal
- Energy minister emphasizes Russia’s oil and gas sector weathered US sanctions well
- Russian premier does not expect West to lift sanctions
- Poroshenko urges EU to tighten anti-Russian sanctions
- OSCE chairman-in-office calls for easing sanctions against Russia
The decision will formally come into force on March 14 after publication in the EU Official Journal.
The sanction list of the EU comprises 150 individuals and 37 entities.
The ‘black list’ is just one of three independent sanction packages of the EU. Economic sanctions targeting specific sectors of the Russian economy renewed every six months are currently in place until July 2017. Trade and visa restrictions against Crimea are also in force and are reviewed annually.