1ST LEAD EU set for six-month extension of Russia economic sanctions By Alexandra Mayer-Hohdahl, dpa

Brussels (dpa) - The European Union has reached an agreement in principle to prolong its economic sanctions against Russia for another six months, following halting progress on a ceasefire in eastern Ukraine."There is a general consensus to go with six," Spanish Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Garcia-Margallo told journalists in Brussels on Wednesday, on the margins of a meeting with his NATO counterparts. "We are on board."Diplomats later confirmed on condition of anonymity that a preliminary agreement has been reached on the prolongation. The EU sanctions are currently due to expire on January 31.It was not immediately clear when the formal decision on the extension will be made. EU foreign ministers are next due to meet on December 14.The economic sanctions against Russia were first instituted in July 2014, in reaction to Moscow‘s annexation of the Ukrainian peninsula of Crimea. The measures, which aim to hamper Russian imports and Russian banks‘ access to European capital markets, have severely strained relations between Brussels and Moscow.They are among the most controversial steps taken to influence Moscow‘s course in Ukraine, having inflicted economic pain both on Russia and the 28-country EU.But the bloc has linked the sanctions to a ceasefire deal for eastern Ukraine, which was supposed to be implemented by the end of year. Violations persist, however."How can we trust if we can‘t see the simple things happening?" Lithuanian Foreign Minister Linas Linkevicius said on Tuesday during a think tank event in Brussels."What is at stake in the Ukraine crisis is really the post-Cold War security order in Europe," Daniel Fried, the coordinator for sanctions policy at the US Department of State, added. "The stakes are high."The United States has also imposed sanctions on Moscow.