Europe must mount pressure against Russia, Kallas says as EU sanctions deadline looms

Chief European Union diplomat Kaja Kallas pushed for member states to extend sweeping sanctions on Russia amid disagreements in the bloc on Sept. 21.

"Sanctions are a core pillar of our response to Russia's war," Kallas said in a press briefing in New York City, following an informal meeting with European foreign ministers on the sidelines of the U.N, General Assembly. "We aim to close them soon and hopefully have the rollover swiftly."

Kallas' comments came as EU ambassadors failed late on Sept. 21 to finalize a deal on renewing sanctions against nearly 3,000 Russia-linked individuals and entities, with negotiations set to continue just hours before the measures are due to expire on Sept. 22.

"​​Nothing has changed, that is very clear," Kallas told reporters. "Certain member states have raised certain people to be delisted, and that's why these discussions are right now ongoing."

The "certain people" Kallas referred to are Russian oligarchs Alisher Usmanov and Mikhail Fridman, whom France and Slovakia advocated be delisted from sanctions.

Kallas assured reporters that the EU would resolve the disagreements, continue economic pressure on Russia, and even introduce a new sanctions package.

"We need to have this stability [so] that the sanctions remain in place for a longer time," Kallas said. "There is clearly an appetite to put more in place when it comes to Russia's military-industrial complex."

An agreement to extend current sanctions on Russia by one year was initially expected to be confirmed by Sept. 21. However, after France and Slovakia proposed dropping sanctions on the two Russian oligarchs and extending economic restrictions on Russia by 36 months, Latvia torpedoed the deal in protest.

"The Latvian government's stance has been unwavering," Latvian Foreign Minister Baiba Braze wrote on X on Sept. 21. "EU sanctions against Russia must be strengthened, not weakened. Therefore, Latvia cannot agree to the widely proposed suggestion."

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha thanked Braze in a post on X on Sept. 21, saying, "Latvia has principles. And indeed, sanctions on Russia must be strengthened, not weakened. Sustained and increasing pressure is essential to force Russia to end its aggression and move toward peace."

The individual sanctions, which include asset freezes and travel bans, require the unanimous approval of all 27 EU members. A temporary seven-day extension adopted last week keeps the existing measures in force only until Sept. 22, meaning failure to reach an agreement risks allowing the entire list to lapse. The dispute does not affect the EU's separate sectoral sanctions against the Russian economy.