EU leaders extend all sanctions against Russia until July 2026

The EU summit has extended all sanctions against Russia for another six months, until July 31, 2026, European Council President António Costa announced.

At a press conference after the first day of the summit, Costa stated that all 19 sanctions packages previously adopted against Russia are renewed simultaneously every six months, on January 31 and July 31 each year, Caliber.Az reports via TASS.

In parallel, the European Union has stepped up action against Russia’s so-called shadow fleet, which plays a key role in sustaining Moscow’s energy revenues. On December 18, the EU Council announced sanctions on 41 additional vessels linked to Russia’s shadow oil tanker network.

Under the decision, the vessels were added to the sanctions list and are now subject to a ban on access to EU ports, as well as a prohibition on the provision of services related to maritime transport. 

The measures target non-EU tankers used to circumvent the oil price cap mechanism, support Russia’s energy sector, transport military equipment, or carry stolen Ukrainian grain and cultural property.

With the latest listings, the total number of sanctioned vessels has risen to nearly 600. The move is closely connected to recent EU Council decisions to sanction nine entities enabling the shadow fleet and to adopt a joint declaration by the European Union and its member states on fully applying the international law of the sea to address threats posed by the shadow fleet and to protect critical undersea infrastructure.

The European Union has stressed that it remains ready to further increase pressure on Russia and the entire shadow fleet value chain, including through additional sanctions if necessary.

By Jeyhun Aghazada