EU to Extend Sanctions Against Russian, Ukrainian Individuals, Companies

The European Union (UN) is expected to extend on Wednesday the sanctions against Russian and Ukrainian individuals and companies by six months.

The assets of 150 people and 37 companies will remain frozen and they will continue to be subject of travel bans until March 2016, when the sanctions will be reviewed again, EUobserver informs.

The sanctions, which have been imposed by the EU in stages since April 2014, are targeting individuals and companies related to Russian authorities and the pro-Russian leadership in Ukraine.

The blacklists go along with measures against the banking sector, arms industry and energy sector of Russia, which were extended until the end of January in June.

Among the blacklisted individuals are advisers of Russian President Vladimir Putin – Igor Sechin and Vladislav Surkov, Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin, Russian MPs, Crimean Prime Minister Sergey Aksyonov and Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov.

The expansion of the sanctions comes as the situation in eastern Ukraine has remained tense with some escalation of fighting between the Ukrainian military and pro-Russian separatists occurring in August.

In a telephone conversation last week, Putin, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Francois Hollande called for fully implementing the Minsk ceasefire agreement beginning on September 1.

The three leaders also reaffirmed their commitmets to continue their cooperation within the so-called Normandy format, which also features Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko.

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