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EU renews Russia sanctions, drops Russian billionaires Usmanov and Fridman
Reuters • • world
Key Points:
- EU envoys agreed to remove billionaires Alisher Usmanov and Mikhail Fridman from the EU's Russian sanctions list as part of a compromise to renew sanctions on roughly 3,000 other individuals and entities for three years instead of six months.
- France and Luxembourg pushed for the delisting of Usmanov and Fridman respectively, citing national security concerns and legal claims, while Latvia abstained from the vote but plans to impose its own sanctions on the two men.
- The decision sparked criticism from Ukraine's Foreign Minister, who called it "shameful and unjustifiable," and highlighted tensions within the EU over maintaining a united stance against Russia amid geopolitical pressures.
- The sanctions on Usmanov and Fridman were originally imposed in 2022 following Russia's invasion of Ukraine, including asset freezes and travel bans within the EU.
- The episode involved high-level diplomatic negotiations, with reports that Azerbaijan exerted pressure on France related to detained French nationals, allegedly using Usmanov's case as leverage, a claim denied by Baku.
