France succeeded in its push to remove Alisher Usmanov from the EU sanctions list as part of a prisoner release with Azerbaijan. A second high-profile businessman, Mikhail Fridman, was also removed.
The European Union has agreed to remove Uzbek-Russian oligarch Alisher Usmanov from its sanctions list after fraught negotiations that saw France link his delisting to a prisoner release with Azerbaijan, unsettling Brussels.
A second Russian oligarch, Mikhail Fridman, was also removed after Slovakia vetoed his continued listing, several diplomats told Euronews.
Luxembourg had argued that if Usmanov was removed, Fridman should be too. Fridman has filed a $16 billion claim against Luxembourg over his frozen assets.
Ambassadors sealed the compromise on Tuesday afternoon after two weeks of drawn-out talks that brought the bloc’s sanctions regime to the brink of collapse.
Latvia held up the processon Monday, warning it was not the right time to ease pressure on Moscow. The Baltic country relented on Tuesday afternoon and opted for a constructive abstention, enabling the necessary unanimity.
As a way to offset the pain of delisting the two high-profile businessmen, the EU will extend its individual sanctions on Russia for an unprecedented 36 months.
Previously, the measures were renewed every six months, giving member states regular opportunities to seek concessions.
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