EU sanctions on Putin and Lavrov expire Sept 15. Can the bloc clear Slovakia's veto and approve the rollover on Sept 9?
56% of users predicted YES — the community missed this one. 18 predictions cast.
The European Union failed to approve a rollover of its sanctions on Russian President Vladimir Putin and Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov by September 9, 2026, after Slovakia again blocked the extension. Slovak ambassadors insisted on a shorter six-month renewal rather than the proposed one-year extension and pushed to have Russian-Uzbek businessman Alisher Usmanov and Russian-Israeli businessman Mikhail Fridman removed from the EU's sanctions blacklist before agreeing to any rollover. The impasse marked at least the second failed attempt by EU ambassadors to advance the measure, after a similar postponement on September 2, leaving the broader package covering more than 3,000 Russian individuals and entities unresolved just days before its September 15 expiration. Brussels did move forward on a narrower set of sanctions targeting 10 people and 17 entities linked to the deportation of Ukrainian children to Russia and occupied territories. Community bettors leaned toward expecting approval, with 56% predicting a "yes," but the outcome went the other way as Slovakia's veto held, leaving the EU short on time to resolve the rollover before the broader sanctions regime was set to lapse.