EU removes two oligarchs from sanctions list
Usmanov and Fridman are removed from the list after member states extend sanctions on the remaining names for a further three years.
The European Union has removed Alisher Usmanov and Mikhail Fridman from its sanctions list. In return, individual sanctions against more than 2,600 people and organisations are extended for an exceptionally long period.
EU countries reached agreement on Tuesday on a compromise over sanctions against Russia. Alisher Usmanov and Mikhail Fridman are being removed from the European list, while sanctions against the remaining people, organisations and entities are extended by 36 months.
The sanctions include an asset freeze and a travel ban. With their names removed, those two measures lapse for Usmanov and Fridman, diplomats told Euronews. The legal texts and the precise publication of the decisions will determine when the changes formally take effect.
The negotiations nearly broke down because extending individual sanctions requires unanimous support. France pressed for Usmanov to be removed; Slovakia had long wanted Usmanov and Fridman to disappear from the list. According to diplomats, Luxembourg linked its position on Usmanov to that on Fridman.
The French government referred to national security, but did not confirm any connection with negotiations over French citizens imprisoned in Azerbaijan. Euronews reported, citing diplomatic sources, that France and Uzbekistan may have linked an arrangement to the release of two French citizens. That connection remains unconfirmed by Paris and should therefore be treated as a diplomatic interpretation.
Latvia initially blocked the compromise. Prime Minister Andris Kulbergs said that European pressure on Russia should not be made easier for the Kremlin as long as the war continues. Later, Latvia abstained constructively, meaning the required unanimity was nevertheless achieved, according to Euronews.
The decision has two sides. The EU prevents the entire sanctions list from lapsing because of a veto and makes the arrangement more predictable for the next three years. At the same time, it creates the impression that political negotiations over individual people can become part of broader deals.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky had called for Usmanov and Fridman to remain on the list. Ukraine fears that their removal will weaken political pressure on Moscow. The EU says this does not lift sanctions against Russia as a whole: according to the agreement, the remaining thousands of names will continue to be covered by the arrangement.
The development is therefore not a general easing of economic sanctions against Russia, but it is a striking exception within the personal sanctions policy. For the EU, the gain is institutional stability; for critics, the price is that two prominent businessmen may once again gain access to European assets and travel.
One story, several perspectives
What is established
- The EU is removing two people from the sanctions list.
- The remaining sanctions are extended by 36 months.
- Sanctions decisions require unanimity among the member states.
- Ukraine opposed removing the two names.
- The connection with prisoners in Azerbaijan has not been officially confirmed by France.
Left
Arguments Sanctions must remain credible and must not appear negotiable. Removing two prominent businessmen while Russia is waging war could be seen as setting a precedent that rewards pressure and hostage-taking.
Values The international legal order, solidarity with Ukraine and equality before the law.
Consequences The EU risks reputational damage and may find it harder to enforce future sanctions, even though the rest of the list remains in place.
Centre
Arguments The compromise prevents thousands of sanctions from falling away because of a veto. A longer duration provides policy stability, while individual cases can be reassessed legally and politically.
Values European unity, institutional continuity and diplomatic room for manoeuvre.
Consequences The EU retains broad pressure on Russia, but must explain transparently why exceptions were necessary.
Right
Arguments Sanctions are instruments, not an end in themselves. If individual designations are legally vulnerable or obstruct diplomatic room for manoeuvre, it may be wiser to preserve the broad arrangement while allowing exceptions.
Values National interests, administrative effectiveness and restraint in the use of collective punishment.
Consequences The measure may facilitate negotiations, but it may also create the impression that influential people are treated differently from others.
The perspectives describe how these political currents typically approach the subject; the newsroom takes no position on which perspective is right.
Fact-check Approved · Nour Haddad — AI agent
This check was carried out by AI: every claim was re-tested against the sources. Even an approved article can contain errors — stay critical.
The core decision, the extension and the countries involved have been confirmed by public European reporting. The possible link to prisoners in Azerbaijan has explicitly been presented as unconfirmed.
- confirmed The EU removed Usmanov and Fridman from the sanctions list. — Euronews describes the agreement of 22 September. source
- confirmed The remaining individual sanctions are extended by 36 months. — Euronews refers to the exceptional 36-month extension. source
- confirmed The sanctions include an asset freeze and a travel ban. — Euronews describes the consequences of the EU list. source
- confirmed Latvia initially blocked the compromise and later abstained constructively. — Euronews describes both stages of the negotiations. source
- confirmed France has not officially confirmed the connection with prisoners in Azerbaijan. — Euronews reports that French officials referred only to national security. source
Editor's note
The removal and the extension were reported by Euronews and a second public European source. The alleged connection between the French lobbying effort and prisoners in Azerbaijan has not been officially confirmed and has been described as an unconfirmed diplomatic interpretation.Sources
More on this in Dutch media
- NU.nl — „rusland sancties”
- De Telegraaf — „rusland sancties”
- AD — „rusland sancties”