EU Leaders Approve Extension of Sanctions Against Russia

According to TASS news agency, citing a diplomatic source in the European Union, the leaders of EU member states approved the extension of economic sanctions against Russia during their recent meeting. The source added that by the end of the summit, all leaders of EU member countries reached an agreement on this matter. This decision is expected to be formalized in the coming days at a meeting of the permanent representatives of EU member states. According to a previous EU resolution, the period of economic sanctions against Russia was set to end on January 31, 2017. With the new agreement, these sanctions will be extended for another six months, until the end of July 2017. It was anticipated that EU leaders would approve the extension of sanctions against Russia. Many EU member countries believe that these sanctions are not very effective. However, given the support of Russia for Bashar al-Assad's regime in the Syrian civil war, many in Europe and the United States are calling for a harsher stance against the Russian government. From the perspective of EU leaders, not extending these sanctions could be perceived as a weakness. The President of Lithuania, upon arriving in Brussels for the last EU leaders' summit of the year, stated: 'All necessary agreements regarding the sanctions against Russia have been reached. All member countries know that extending the sanctions is inevitable, and the process of drafting this resolution has already begun.' Vladimir Chizhov, the Russian ambassador to the EU, told TASS before the news was released that the EU is extending these sanctions merely to maintain its unity, which has become the main goal. He added: 'Some of the larger EU member countries are in favor of lifting or reducing these sanctions, but some smaller and more vocal countries want to increase and extend them. In such a situation, someone we all know (Donald Tusk, President of the European Council) steps in as a mediator and says, 'Our unity is at risk, and we will maintain the current position. Does anyone want to vote against it? A comprehensive decision was made!' The Russian ambassador further stated: 'This simple story repeats every six months. After that, the EU Council officially decides on this matter, and the text of the resolution is drafted by the permanent representatives of the member states. Sometimes, they don't even hold a meeting on this matter.'