EU extends Russia sanctions:
By Rikard Jozwiak
BRUSSELS -- The European Union has extended sanctions against Russia for its actions in Ukraine for another six months.
The European Council formally approved the extension on December 19 after EU leaders agreed to the move at a summit last week.
"The council prolonged the economic sanctions targeting specific sectors of the Russian economy until July 31, 2017," the council said in a statement.
The sanctions target the financial, energy, and defense sectors and material that can be used for both industrial and military means.
Last week, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Francois Hollande voiced support for prolonging the sanctions.
They faulted Moscow for failing to do its part in implementing the Minsk accords -- a February 2015 agreement aimed at ending the conflict in eastern Ukraine, where more than 9,750 people have died since April 2014 in fighting between Russia-backed separatists and Ukrainian forces.
The European Union says it has prolonged economic sanctions targeting specific sectors of the Russian economy though July 31, 2017.