EU preliminarily agrees to lift sanctions against two Russian oligarchs - sources

EU countries have preliminarily agreed to remove Russian oligarchs Alisher Usmanov and Mikhail Fridman from the sanctions list and to extend individual sanctions against Russia for 36 months. This was reported by diplomatic sources in Brussels, according to Європейська правда.

The agreement reached by EU ambassadors is preliminary. It is now subject to a vote by written procedure, which may begin around 7:00 PM Kyiv time.

Earlier on Monday, “European Pravda” learned that the EU Committee of Permanent Representatives (Coreper) is considering a proposal by the Irish presidency to extend sanctions against Russia for violating the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Ukraine for 36 months.

At the same time, Slovakia continued to insist on excluding Russian oligarchs Alisher Usmanov and Mikhail Fridman from the list. France also supported the exclusion of Usmanov, citing national interests. According to sources of “European Pravda”, a possible compromise was discussed: exclusion of Usmanov and Fridman in exchange for a 36-month duration of the sanctions regime.

The current sanctions regime, which the EU began compiling back in 2014, covers individuals and entities responsible for actions undermining or threatening the territorial integrity, sovereignty and independence of Ukraine. Since 2022, it includes Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin, Russia's ruling elite and leading oligarchs, as well as former Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych.

On September 14, the EU extended the sanctions regime related to the violation of Ukraine's territorial integrity and sovereignty for seven days, as Slovakia and France continued to insist on removing two Russian oligarchs from the list.

Earlier, sources of “European Pravda” in French diplomatic circles explained why Paris wants to lift sanctions against Usmanov. It was later revealed that France plans to “exchange” the exclusion of Usmanov from the sanctions lists for the release of several of its citizens currently imprisoned in Azerbaijan.

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said that excluding Russian oligarchs Alisher Usmanov and Mikhail Fridman from the EU sanctions list would be unacceptable, since the reasons for which the sanctions were imposed have not disappeared.