EU Delays Russia Sanctions Renewal Over Oligarch Dispute
EU Delays Russia Sanctions Renewal Over Oligarch Dispute
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Key Points
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The sanctions list also includes Viktor Yanukovych, Ukraine’s pro-Russian former president who fled the country after the 2014 Revolution of Dignity.
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The EU said it would impose new sanctions on people who organized or stood as candidates in Russia’s parliamentary elections in occupied Ukrainian territories, as well as those accused of undermining free and fair elections inside Russia. EU foreign-policy chief Kaja Kallas called the votes fraudulent and said they represented another “flagrant violation” of international law.
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France and Slovakia’s opposition reportedly forced the bloc to renew the measures for only one week while diplomats searched for a longer-term agreement, rather than immediately securing the normal 12-month extension.
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Ireland, which held the rotating EU Council presidency, and the European External Action Service proposed keeping Usmanov formally listed while potentially lifting both his asset freeze and travel ban; Germany and Italy indicated they could support that approach.
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EU governments are also divided over the legal standards needed to maintain asset freezes, as sanctioned Russian billionaires challenge their listings and property restrictions in court.
The EU has agreed to remove Russian billionaires Alisher Usmanov and Mikhail Fridman from its sanctions list while extending penalties on nearly 3,000 other Russian individuals and entities for three years, Market Screener reported. The decision ends weeks of deadlock over whether to ease restrictions on the oligarchs, a dispute that had forced the bloc to renew measures for just one week at a time rather than securing a full-term extension.
The compromise comes after France and Slovakia pushed hard for relief involving Usmanov, reportedly amid broader diplomatic negotiations. EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas emphasized that maintaining sanctions remains essential, calling them "a core component of the EU's response" to Russia's invasion of Ukraine, Daily Tribunal 24 noted.
France and Slovakia Force a Three-Year Compromise
EU diplomats had been trapped in stalemate, unable to agree on a standard 12-month extension. France and Slovakia's demands for oligarch relief forced the bloc to resort to rolling one-week renewals while negotiators searched for a deal. The three-year extension now clears the path for diplomats to move forward without immediate crisis, though the removal of Usmanov and Fridman marks a significant shift in the EU's approach.
Some EU governments had warned that lifting restrictions on any sanctioned billionaire could weaken the overall regime and create legal precedent for other Russian elites to challenge their listings. Germany and Italy had reportedly been open to a middle ground—keeping the oligarchs formally listed while removing asset freezes and travel bans—but the final agreement went further by removing them entirely.
New Sanctions Target Russian Election Organizers
Beyond the three-year renewal, the EU said it would impose new sanctions on people who organized or stood as candidates in Russia's parliamentary elections held in occupied Ukrainian territories. Market Screener reported that penalties would also target those accused of undermining free and fair elections inside Russia itself. Kallas called the votes "fraudulent" and said they represented another "flagrant violation" of international law.
The broader sanctions package covers Putin, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, and Viktor Yanukovych, Ukraine's pro-Russian former president who fled after the 2014 Revolution of Dignity. Altogether, the list touches nearly 3,000 individuals and entities tied to Russia's actions in Ukraine.
Ukraine Frustrated by Weeks of EU Delays
Kyiv expressed frustration as the EU's internal divisions dragged out the renewal process. While the three-year extension now guarantees continuity, the weeks of deadlock underscored the challenge of maintaining unified Western pressure on Russia as diplomatic and economic interests diverge among member states. Ukraine has stressed that every delay risks weakening the impact of sanctions on Moscow's war effort.
Daily Tribunal 24 reported that Kallas stressed sanctions are vital to the EU's strategy. Yet the removal of two major oligarchs signals the bloc's willingness to trade off individual targets for internal consensus—a trade that raises questions about how long the remaining restrictions will survive future legal challenges and shifting political winds.
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