The European Union is extending its economic sanctions on Russia for the first time by 12 months instead of 6 months, a spokeswoman for European Council President António Costa said on Thursday.
The EU has imposed far-reaching punitive measures against Moscow since Russia started its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
The sanctions target in particular Russia's revenues from the international sale of fossil fuels, the country's arms industry and financial institutions.
So far, these sanctions had to be rolled over every six months. The extension required the unanimous approval of all 27 EU leaders.
Ukraine has seen a new wave of support from the EU since former Hungarian prime minister Viktor Orbán, who blocked several aid initiatives, was voted out of office earlier this year.
The EU has since opened formal accession talks and adopted a €90-billion ($104.5-billion) loan for Kiev.
On Thursday, all 27 EU leaders gathered in Brussels also adopted a joint declaration in support of Kiev unanimously for the first time in over a year after Orbán repeatedly refused to back EU statements on Ukraine.
