German Chancellor Angela Merkel (left), British Prime Minister Theresa May (centre) and President of the European Parliament Martin Schulz attend the European Union Leaders Summit in Brussels, Belgium, on Thursday (Anodolu Agency photo)

BRUSSELS — European Union leaders grappled with Russia and Brexit at a "minefield" summit in Brussels on Thursday at the end of one of the most turbulent years in the bloc's history. Russia hasn’t been swayed by sanctions, but they have hurt, largely because of the participation of European countries with significant trade relationships with Russia. The decision was confirmed by European Council President Donald Tusk, who said that some European Union member states had pushed for a longer 12-month extension of the punitive measures. The bloc slapped sanctions on Russia after it annexed Ukraine’s Black Sea peninsula of Crimea from Ukraine in 2014 and stepped them up as Moscow went on to support a separatist rebellion in Ukraine’s industrial east. But in front of cameras, EU leaders were more cautious, with German Chancellor Angela Merkel saying the extension was agreed “based on the current situation” rather than attempts to “anticipate what the new American president might do.”

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“It’s still too early to assess responsibly what is the possible policy of the new american administration on Russia,” said Tusk.
The European Union extends its main Ukraine-related economic sanctions against Russia for six months until mid-2017.