On 2 March, President Barack Obama announced the decision to continue the ‘National Emergency with Respect to Ukraine’. For this reason the restrictive measures against Russia, set out in Executive Order 13660, will continue to be valid for a further year, until 6 March 2017.

For its part, the Council of the European Union adopted decision (CFSP) 2016/359 on 10 March 2016, by which targeted sanctions against Russia in view of the situation in Ukraine will be renewed for a further six months. As a result, the measures affecting 146 Russian people and 37 entities, due to expire on 15 March 2016, will remain in place until 15 September. Furthermore, the EU has also decided to extend a separate regime targeting public corruption in Ukraine by freezing the assets of 16 people for another year.

Sanctions against Russia, as stated by the U.S. and the EU, are closely linked to Russia’s (non)fulfilment of its obligations to support Ukraine in regaining access to its rebel-controlled areas.