After two weeks of delays instigated by Italy, the EU finally extended sanctions on Russia by another six months. “Since the Minsk agreements will not be fully implemented by 31 December 2015,” the European Council said in a statement yesterday, “the duration of the sanctions has been prolonged whilst the Council continues its assessment of progress in implementation.”A big story story behind the reauthorization is how it revealed Italy’s deep discontent with Germany. As we have covered, the Italians held up what was supposed to be a quiet, routine reauthorization for weeks, forcing it to the Prime Ministerial level and …read more
Source: The American Interest
