EU leaders prolong sanctions on Russia but do not agree on new sanctions package

BRUSSELS - A meeting of the European Union's (EU) heads of state and government in Brussels on Thursday agreed to extend sanctions on Russia for another six months, but failed to agree on a new sanctions package because of the objections raised by Slovakia, officials said.

The decision at a summit in Brussels means that the EU's sweeping sanctions over the war in Ukraine, including the freezing of more than EUR 200 billion in Russian central bank assets, will remain in force until at least early 2026.

Slovakian leader Roberto Fico refused at the summit to greenlight the 18th round of sanctions due to a separate dispute with Brussels over plans to cut off imports of Russian gas by the end of 2027.

Fico held talks with EU chief Ursula von der Leyen earlier on Thursday but failed to get the concessions he wants and announced he would hold up approval of the sanctions package.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky urged EU leaders in a video address to adopt the strong package "targeting Russia's oil trade, shadow tanker fleet, banks, and supply chains that bring equipment or parts for making weapons".