EU envoys extend Russia sanctions by seven days to debate six-month renewal, EU presidency says
EU envoys bought time to settle a dispute over whether to delist Alisher Usmanov, after France and Slovakia blocked a six-month renewal.
- On Monday, EU ambassadors in Brussels extended the Russia sanctions list by seven days until September 22 after failing to agree on a six-month renewal, following France and Slovakia's push to delist Russian billionaire Alisher Usmanov.
- The EU sanctioned the 73-year-old Russian-Uzbek billionaire in 2022, citing 'particularly close ties' to President Vladimir Putin and his role consolidating Kremlin control over media assets including VK and Kommersant.
- France cited an unspecified 'national security issue' and requests from 'international partners'—potentially Azerbaijan, Turkey, and Uzbekistan—to justify its position, causing 'huge frustration' among other European governments.
- Italy and Croatia have since backed the push to delist the billionaire, reportedly as a compromise to secure renewal of the broader sanctions regime, which requires unanimous approval from all 27 EU member states.
- This one-week extension marks an unprecedented delay since the 2022 invasion of Ukraine, with member states facing a critical September 22 deadline to resolve the stalemate or risk the entire sanctions list lapsing.
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To the surprise of its European partners, Paris asks that the billionaire, who is known to be close to Vladimir Putin, be removed from the list of sanctions against Russian personalities.
France Lobbies EU to Lift Sanctions on Russian Tycoon Usmanov
France is pushing European Union member states to lift sanctions on Russian billionaire Alisher Usmanov as part of a prisoner release deal with Azerbaijan, according to people familiar with the matter.
It is a position which has surprised in the closed circles of diplomacy. France opposed, on Monday 14 September, the continuation of the sanctions which
France has requested and obtained the postponement of a week of the renewal of European sanctions against about 3,000 Russian people and companies, accused of supporting the war effort against Ukraine
According to the British daily, Paris justifies its request in favour of the oligarch Alicher Ousmanov by stressing his role in the liberation of French detainees in Azerbaijan.
Slovakia, France support delisting Usmanov while 25 other EU states disagree
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