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EU Delays Sanctions-Extension Vote Until September 22

By Drooid · Sep 15, 2026, 2:48 AM UTC · How we work

Summary

EU Delays Sanctions

The EU postponed the sanctions-extension deadline to September 22, giving members extra time.
Extending sanctions on about 2,600 Russian entities requires a unanimous vote, letting any member veto.
Slovakia and France demand delisting oligarch Alisher Usmanov, with France tying it to an Azerbaijan prisoner-swap.
Luxembourg says it will also seek Mikhail Fridman’s removal if Usmanov is delisted.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky condemned the EU delay and urged pressure on Russian billionaires.

Summary

Zelensky Sanctions Mendel

President Volodymyr Zelensky signed decree No. 901/2026 imposing personal sanctions on former press secretary Iuliia Mendel.
The ten-year sanctions freeze her assets, prohibit capital flight, and revoke her state awards indefinitely.
The Security Service of Ukraine proposed the sanctions, which the National Security and Defense Council approved.
Mendel accused Zelensky of dictatorship on Tucker Carlson’s May 2026 podcast, but Kyiv Post found her claims unsubstantiated.

History

Historical Context

In March 2014, the European Union imposed its first coordinated sanctions on Russia's state after Crimea’s annexation, targeting banks and officials. The package listed about 2,600 Russian firms and froze €1 billion, a figure announced by EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell. Now, the EU postponed its sanctions deadline to September 22, while France seeks to delist oligarchs Alisher Usmanov and Mikhail Fridman, and Volodymyr Zelensky sanctions Iuliia Mendel. The 2014 precedent shows that early EU measures created a sanction-law infrastructure now enabling Kyiv and Brussels to coordinate punitive actions against Russian elites.

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EU Delays Sanctions

The EU postponed the sanctions-extension deadline to September 22, giving members extra time.
Extending sanctions on about 2,600 Russian entities requires a unanimous vote, letting any member veto.
Slovakia and France demand delisting oligarch Alisher Usmanov, with France tying it to an Azerbaijan prisoner-swap.
Luxembourg says it will also seek Mikhail Fridman’s removal if Usmanov is delisted.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky condemned the EU delay and urged pressure on Russian billionaires.

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