EU Council renew Russia sectoral sanctions for 6 months

The EU Council has agreed to renew the sectoral sanctions against Russia for 6 months until 31 January 2021. The decision has been reached because “full implementation [of the Minsk agreements] has not yet been achieved”. The measures were originally introduced in 2014 in view of Russia’s “destablising actions against Ukraine”, and have been renewed every 6 months since. They target the financial, energy, and defence sectors of the Russian economy, and establish a ban on dual-use goods. See press release.