Slovakia blocks EU plan to extend Russia sanctions to 12 months

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BRUSSELS — The Slovak government on Wednesday rejected a 12-month extension for the EU’s individual sanctions package against Russia, three diplomats told POLITICO.

The measures — which have already been extended by six months many times before — expire on Sept. 15 . The bloc had hoped to secure a longer extension and avoid repeated renegotiations, but any amendment requires the unanimous support of all 27 member countries.

The six-month renewal cycle was a compromise intended to placate former Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán. Budapest used the recurring deadlines to press other EU governments for concessions.

The bloc’s ambassadors could not find common ground on the proposal on Wednesday, with Slovakia being the sole holdout.

“Apparently, they have some objections. I think we have heard them before,” one EU diplomat said. They were granted anonymity to comment freely on the closed-door negotiations.

A spokesperson for the Slovak government declined to comment and shared a statement from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs: “Discussions on the regular six-month review of the sanctions regime … are ongoing and are expected to be concluded by 15 September 2026.”

Talks also touched on adding a further 27 individuals and companies to the sanctions list, freezing their EU assets. Technical experts on sanctions policy will now discuss the changes and extension again.

The law is one of the EU’s two main sanctions frameworks: individual and economic sanctions. Originally, both had to be renewed every six months, but the economic sanctions were extended for 12 months in June, after Orbán left office, and will now remain in force until July 2027.

Nicholas Vinocur contributed to this report.