European Union envoys initially agreed to lift sanctions on Russian businessmen Alisher Usmanov and Mikhail Fridman, who were sanctioned due to Russia's war in Ukraine. This decision was part of a larger proposal to renew sanctions on approximately 3,000 other Russia-linked individuals and entities for an unprecedented three years. The sanctions, which include asset freezes and travel bans, were set to expire on Tuesday at midnight if no unanimous decision was reached by the EU's 27 member countries.
However, this proposed deal faced strong opposition, particularly from Latvia, which stated it could not accept the lifting of sanctions on Usmanov and Fridman. Other hawkish EU countries, including Poland and the Baltic states, also fiercely opposed the easing of sanctions, arguing that pressure on Russia should be increased. Ukraine's presidential advisor, Vladyslav Vlasiuk, and Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiga also decried the potential delisting, emphasizing that such a move would send the wrong signal to Moscow while the war continues.
The push to remove Usmanov from the sanctions list was reportedly spearheaded by France and Slovakia, with Luxembourg advocating for Fridman's removal, partly due to a $17 billion lawsuit he filed against Luxembourg for freezing his assets. Euronews reported that a behind-the-scenes agreement between Uzbek authorities and France might link Usmanov's delisting to the release of two French nationals imprisoned in Azerbaijan. This situation created a deadlock, with negotiations continuing as the deadline for sanction renewal approached. Despite the contention over Usmanov and Fridman, there was broad agreement among EU diplomats that the overall sanctions regime should not be allowed to lapse.
