EU Deadlocked Over Renewal of Sanctions on Russia

European Union member states have reached an impasse in negotiations over extending sanctions against Russia, The Guardian and BBC Russian reported. Without an agreement before the end of the day, sanctions targeting nearly 3,000 entities and individuals accused of supporting the war in Ukraine will expire.

According to the reports, France and Luxembourg are seeking to remove certain figures from the blacklist, including oligarchs Alisher Usmanov and Mikhail Fridman, a move strongly opposed by Latvia. Reports linked the French push to efforts to secure the release of French citizens detained in Azerbaijan, an assertion that Baku has officially denied.