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| Ukraine crisis: EU extends Russia sanctions to 2016 | |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| EU foreign ministers have extended economic sanctions against Russia until the end of January 2016. | EU foreign ministers have extended economic sanctions against Russia until the end of January 2016. |
| The aim is to make Russia comply with the Minsk ceasefire accord signed with Ukraine in February, EU spokeswoman Maja Kocijancic tweeted. | The aim is to make Russia comply with the Minsk ceasefire accord signed with Ukraine in February, EU spokeswoman Maja Kocijancic tweeted. |
| EU and US sanctions target associates of President Vladimir Putin and Russian state banks, military and energy firms. | EU and US sanctions target associates of President Vladimir Putin and Russian state banks, military and energy firms. |
| The ministers also launched a naval operation called EU Navfor Med, to track Mediterranean people smugglers. | The ministers also launched a naval operation called EU Navfor Med, to track Mediterranean people smugglers. |
| Initially European warships will just monitor the smugglers' activities - focused on Libya - and alert national authorities. Military intervention to stop the migrant boats would require UN authorisation. | |
| EU sanctions were imposed on Russia after Moscow's annexation of Crimea in March 2014. They have been escalated because of Russia's role in the conflict in eastern Ukraine. | |
| Nato says hundreds of Russian tanks and armoured vehicles have gone into eastern Ukraine, along with regular Russian army soldiers. | |
| Moscow denies direct involvement but says some Russian volunteers are helping the separatist pro-Russian rebels. | |
| Under the sanctions regime Russian state banks are excluded from raising long-term loans; exports of dual-use equipment for military use in Russia are banned; and future EU-Russia arms deals are banned. | |
| There is an EU-US ban on exports of some oil industry technology and services, though gas remains unaffected. | |
| The sanctions also target many senior officials in Russia and in the separatist leadership, including Crimean leaders, and organisations linked to them. |