The EU’s sanctions list must be renewed twice a year with unanimous support from all 27 member states. More than 2,600 people and entities have been sanctioned.
The names that were removed were not disclosed. Slovakia had called for the removal of prominent tycoons Alisher Usmanov and Mikhail Fridman from the list. However, two of the diplomats said, neither was among those de-listed.
Envoys had been unable to secure an agreement during all-day talks on Friday, launching a written procedure on Saturday to finalize the terms of the rollover.
Capitals are hoping for a breakthrough on the EU’s forthcoming package of new sanctions — which will be the 20th to be imposed on Moscow since the start of its full-scale invasion of Ukraine — when the bloc’s leaders meet in Brussels for a summit on Thursday.
Hungary has so far refused to sign off the latest round of additional restrictions, and is holding up the payment of a €90 billion loan to ensure Ukraine can continue to fund its defense and pay for essential services.