LUXEMBOURG, June 22 (UPI) -- The European Union on Monday extended sanctions against Russia until the end of January 2016 in an effort to force compliance with the Minsk cease-fire agreement.
The sanctions were initially imposed in March 2014 as a result of Russia's annexation of the Ukrainian peninsula of Crimea and its apparent military support for rebel troops. The sanctions target Russian President Vladimir Putin, senior government and military officials, as well as Russia's military, state banks and energy companies.