EU extends sanctions on Russia

The European Union has extended economic sanctions against the Russian Federation for a further six months, the media reported on Monday. The decision which had been made at the meeting of the EU foreign ministers was announced by the EU Council's press officer for foreign affairs, Susanne Kiefer. The sanctions are to be maintained until January 31, 2016 to ensure the Mińsk agreement is implemented, she tweeted. There was no objections against extending the sanctions. The EU imposed sanctions against Russia on August 1, 2014, and tightened them in September the same year.  They include restrictions on lending to major Russian state-owned lenders, as well as defense and oil companies. What is more, Brussels imposed restrictions on the supply of weapons and military equipment to Russia as well as military technology, dual-use technologies, high-tech equipment and technologies for oil production. No sanctions were imposed against Russia’s gas industry so far.