Armed conflict

EU Renews Russian Sanctions

Published MAR 14 2025

Story

Above: Ursula von der Leyen, president of the European Commission, during a news conference following a special European Council meeting in Brussels, Belgium, on Thursday, March 6, 2025. Image credit: Simon Wohlfahrt/Bloomberg/Contributor via Getty Images

The Facts

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen renewed sanctions against more than 2.4K Russian individuals and entities after reaching a last-minute compromise with Hungary, preventing the entire sanctions framework from expiring on March 15.
Euractiv
Breitbart
Following negotiations, the EU agreed to remove four Russian individuals from the sanctions list: businessman Viatcheslav Moshe Kantor, Sports Minister Mikhail Degtyaryov, Gulbahor Ismailova (sister of businessman Alisher Usmanov), and Vladimir Rashevsky.
UPI
Politico
www.ft.com
Hungary's PM Victor Orbán had initially requested the removal of eight individuals, including prominent businessmen Mikhail Fridman and Petr Aven, but ultimately settled for a compromise that allowed the six-month extension of sanctions until Sept. 15.
Euractiv
TASS
The Kyiv Independent
The sanctions framework requires unanimous approval from all 27 EU member states every six months.
EuroNews
TVP World
Reuters
This marked the second time in three months that Hungary opposed the EU's sanctions regime, having previously challenged sectoral sanctions in January before obtaining concessions on energy security.
RadioFreeEurope/RadioLiberty
Breitbart
The renewed sanctions maintain asset freezes and travel bans on Russian military commanders, government officials, oligarchs, and companies in various sectors including military, banking, transport, energy, and telecommunications.
MSN
Bloomberg.com

Sources Split

LEFT

CENTER

RIGHT

ESTAB
CRIT

CENTER

PRO
ESTAB

The Spin

Narrative A

The sanctions renewal process needs reform as it allows individual member states to hold the entire framework hostage for political leverage, undermining the EU's unified response to Russian aggression and creating unnecessary diplomatic crises every six months.

EuroNews

The Municheye

Narrative B

The EU's sanctions policy is isolating Europe from potential diplomatic solutions, particularly as the US explores peace negotiations, and a more flexible approach considering individual cases on their legal merits would be more constructive.

Hungarian Conservative

Breitbart