On 31 July 2016, the European Union (“EU”) will extend its economic sanctions against Russia for another six months. The EU has renewed these sanctions every six months since they were introduced for one year in July 2014 in response to Russia’s alleged annexation of Crimea. In 2015, EU leaders publicly linked repeal of these sanctions to Russia’s implementation of the Minsk II ceasefire agreement. Despite the fact that Russia has not fully complied with that agreement, recent events across Europe suggest that this might be the last rollover of the full sanctions program. Rolling over the sanctions requires consent of all EU member states. Support for the sanctions is waning, however, in those member states most affected by Russia’s counter-sanctions on EU food exports.
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