The European Union has reached a compromise on sanctions against Russia

In return, sanctions were maintained against nearly three thousand other people and entities. Until now, they have been extended every six months, which each time has meant difficult negotiations and the risk of a blockade. So now there will be more stability. However, the compromise means weakening the sanctions list. Just yesterday, Kiev appealed not to break it up, as it would be a bad signal for Russia.

Latvia blocked the agreement until the last moment. Riga did not want to agree to remove the oligarchs from the list. However, her intention was not to actually block the sanctions themselves, but rather to feign opposition to their weakening. In principle, however, no one believed that Latvia would actually block them, so the compromise that had been on the table since yesterday did not change.

It also means that the EU has avoided a situation in which it could not extend sanctions against thousands of other persons and entities because of two names. The written procedure is valid until 8 p.m. - if no one raises any objections, the political agreement has been finally reached.