The European Union has agreed to prolong for 6 months a raft of sanctions aimed at depriving Russia of funds to finance its war against Ukraine
ByThe Associated Press
January 27, 2025, 7: 48 AM
BRUSSELS — The European Union agreed a 6-month extension Monday for a raft of sanctions aimed at depriving Russia of funds to finance its war against Ukraine after Hungary lifted its objections to the move.
The sanctions target trade, finance, energy, technology, industry, transport and luxury goods. They include a ban on the import or transfer of seaborne crude oil and certain petroleum products from Russia to the EU. They will now remain in place at least until July 31.
Some measures were introduced in 2014 after Russia annexed Ukraine’s Crimean Peninsula, but the list grew significantly after Moscow’s full-fledged invasion of its neighbor almost three years ago.
On Friday, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán called on the EU to intervene in a gas dispute that his country has with Ukraine. He said Kyiv’s decision to halt the transit of Russian gas into Central Europe had forced Hungary to turn to alternative routes, which raised energy prices.
To satisfy O