EU fails to agree extension of individual sanctions on Russia; deadline tomorrow, 15 September 2026

Brussels — The Committee of Permanent Representatives (COREPER) convened an extraordinary meeting on 14 September 2026 but failed to agree a renewal of the EU's individual sanctions against Russia; ambassadors decided to reconvene later the same day as the current authorisations expire on 15 September 2026.

The failure to reach consensus puts at risk the continued application of measures targeting more than 3,000 individuals and legal entities, primarily from the Russian Federation, which would be automatically lifted if no extension is adopted by the deadline.

Diplomats said the impasse stems from a set of member-state demands to remove certain listed individuals. Slovakia continues to press for the removal of oligarchs Mikhail Fridman and Alisher Usmanov from the sanctions list, and France has joined the demand to delist Usmanov — a position Paris adopted on 11 September 2026. Negotiators also reported that Italy and Croatia backed removing Usmanov in search of a compromise.

Despite those supports, the majority of member states remain opposed to the French–Slovak request, leaving ambassadors scrambling to identify a possible way out of the deadlock before the legal expiry of the measures.

Background and stakes

Individual listings were last extended on 14 March 2026, when Slovakia similarly insisted on delisting Mikhail Fridman and Alisher Usmanov until the final hours of the negotiations. Diplomats warn that failure to agree would mean a significant rollback of the EU's targeted regime designed to penalise breaches of Ukraine's territorial integrity.

Ambassadors planned further talks later on 14 September 2026 to try to find a compromise. The outcome will determine whether the current package of individual sanctions remains in force or lapses at midnight on 15 September 2026.

Photo: press material from the event