The European Union is currently in a tough spot. A dispute has broken out among member countries over whether to keep sanctions on specific Russian oligarchs.

Sanctions are basically penalties. In this case, they are rules that freeze the money and property of wealthy Russians connected to the war in Ukraine.

France and Slovakia are currently asking the EU to remove these penalties for two specific Russian businessmen. Because EU decisions often need everyone to agree, this request has caused a huge problem. If they don't find a way to settle this argument soon, the rules for nearly 3,000 other sanctions could run out and expire.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has spoken out against this idea. He called it "immoral" and "self-destructive." He believes the EU should stay strong against people linked to the Russian war effort.

Meanwhile, EU ambassadors recently failed to agree on extending sanctions against Russian leader Vladimir Putin and Ukraine’s former president, Viktor Yanukovych.

Right now, European officials are scrambling to find a deal to fix this. They are trying to keep the sanctions program together without letting the disagreement tear it apart.

Source: The Kyiv Independent