EU Council prolongs EU sanctions against Russia for 6 months

The EU Council has taken a decision on Dec. 18 on the written procedure to extend sanctions against Russia for six months due to the Ukrainian situation, the council press service said in Brussels.

"On Dec. 21, 2015, the Council prolonged EU economic sanctions against Russia until July 31, 2016," the communique said.

On Dec. 18, the Committee of Permanent Representatives (Coreper) in the European Union has agreed on the issue of prolonging sanctions. It is expected that the legal acts will be published in the EU Official Journal on Tuesday; the EU Council's decision will take effect starting from this moment of time.

Read more: How much are Western sanctions hurting Russia's economy?

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