The European Union has agreed to remove Russian billionaires Alisher Usmanov and Mikhail Fridman from its sanctions list while simultaneously extending restrictions on nearly 3,000 individuals and entities accused of supporting the war in Ukraine for the next three years.
Facing a Tuesday deadline to preserve the Russia blacklist, the bloc’s 27 member states reached a compromise that required delisting the two oligarchs despite minimal support for the move among capitals. EU sanctions decisions require unanimity.
France sparked outrage among EU governments this month by demanding Usmanov’s removal on “national security” grounds, reportedly linked to a prisoner exchange deal involving French nationals and Azerbaijan. Luxembourg subsequently sought the same treatment for Fridman, a Russian-Israeli magnate who is suing the Grand Duchy for $16 billion over frozen assets.
The exemptions angered numerous member states, which argue the precedent allows national interests to undermine collective sanctions policy.
Ukraine condemned the decision as unacceptable. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy wrote on social media: “No name on the sanctions list is there by accident: each one represents a reason why this war started and continues to this day.”
Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha called the move “shameful and unjustifiable” on X, adding: “Moscow is celebrating because it got what it wanted: a sense of impunity, the humiliation of the EU, and division among Europeans.”
To secure acceptance of the delistings, the sanctions renewal was extended to 36 months rather than the standard six. A spokesperson for Ireland’s EU presidency, which brokered the talks, described the outcome as “a difficult compromise,” noting that the longer renewal period “enhances the durability and predictability of the EU sanctions framework.”
The decision followed last-minute drama when Latvia, facing parliamentary elections on October 3, objected to the delistings on Monday. Prime Minister Evika Siliņa instructed her foreign minister to negotiate with Paris and Brussels. Diplomats said Latvia ultimately agreed to abstain on the two removals. The blacklist retains designations on President Vladimir Putin, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, Duma deputies, major banks, energy firms, and the military-industrial complex.
Senior EU officials have pledged to propose roughly 1,600 new designations targeting the Russian military-industrial complex at next month’s foreign ministers meeting. However, the recent standoff — following difficult negotiations on the 21st sanctions package in July — suggests the process remains fraught.