EU extends Russia sanctions to 12 months for the first time as Hungary drops veto
EU leaders in Brussels agreed to extend economic sanctions against Russia from six to twelve months, the first time the bloc has moved beyond the shorter cycle since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
Breaking the six-month cycle
EU leaders decided to extend economic sanctions against Russia by twelve months instead of the usual six. The decision was taken during the June summit in Brussels, announced by a spokesperson for Council President António Costa. The text of the extension will be formally adopted by the Council of Ministers in the coming weeks, a step considered a formality.
The Orbán factor
For years, former Hungarian prime minister Viktor Orbán blocked a one-year extension, keeping the renewal cycle at six months and giving Budapest leverage. With Orbán's ouster and the new government of Péter Magyar, who is sharply more critical of Russia, all 27 member states endorsed the Ukraine declaration for the first time since December 2024.
New measures in the pipeline
The summit declaration stated the EU remains determined “to further increase pressure on Russia and weaken its war economy, so that Russia ends its brutal war of aggression and enters serious peace negotiations.”
to further increase pressure on Russia and weaken its war economy, so that Russia ends its brutal war of aggression and enters serious peace negotiations
Among the planned 70 new measures are steps to reduce Russian energy revenues, curb the activities of the shadow fleet, and further restrict the Russian banking system. Twenty additional tankers of the shadow fleet are to be added to the sanctions list.
Unanimity achieved
The shift to a twelve-month cycle reduces the ability of any single member state to block renewal. The EU’s economic sanctions cover trade, finance, energy, industry, transport, and luxury goods, including a ban on seaborne imports of Russian crude oil and the exclusion of many Russian banks from SWIFT.
