The European Union has moved to lift sanctions on two prominent Russian business figures who were originally targeted in the wake of Russia's full-scale military invasion of Ukraine in 2022. The decision, which emerged following intense closed-door negotiations among member states, has triggered immediate condemnation from officials in Kyiv, who argue that loosening restrictions undermines collective Western resolve and rewards Kremlin-aligned figures.
French and Luxembourgish Interventions Drive Delisting
The push to remove the two businessmen from the sanctions register was spearheaded by France and Luxembourg, each presenting distinct rationales. Paris actively campaigned for the delisting of Russian-Uzbek billionaire Alisher Usmanov, citing national security concerns as the driving justification. Diplomatic reporting has additionally linked the French position to sensitive, ongoing negotiations involving a potential prisoner exchange arrangement with Azerbaijan. When Brussels originally froze Usmanov's assets in 2022, European authorities designated him as a pro-Kremlin figure with exceptionally close links to Russian President Vladimir Putin. Usmanov has contested that characterization from the outset, publicly condemning the punitive measures as fundamentally unfair.
Concurrently, Luxembourg pushed for the removal of Russian-Israeli financier Mikhail Fridman. Fridman, who was born in Ukraine, is widely recognized as the principal founder of Alfa Group, a major investment conglomerate boasting significant assets in the banking and energy domains. The European Union had identified him as a pivotal financier who actively facilitated the operations of Putin's inner circle. Throughout the conflict, Fridman has refrained from making any direct, unequivocal condemnation of Putin regarding the hostilities in Ukraine. Facing frozen holdings across Europe, Fridman initiated formal litigation against Luxembourg seeking the restitution of his blocked assets, a factor that added legal and diplomatic pressure on the Grand Duchy.
Latvian Resistance Yields Multi-Year Sanctions Package
The proposed delisting initially faced fierce resistance within the European bloc, primarily from Latvia. During a preliminary session of EU ambassadors on Monday, Latvian representatives exercised their veto power to block the arrangement. Riga's skepticism was deeply rooted in prior regional experience with Fridman's long-time business partner, Russian-Latvian entrepreneur Pyotr Aven. In 2022, Latvian authorities stripped Aven of the country's highest state decoration after he refused to condemn the armed aggression against Ukraine.
By Tuesday, however, Latvia shifted its diplomatic stance from an outright veto to an abstention following substantial negotiations that yielded major structural concessions. Under the final compromise, the European Union agreed to secure a comprehensive three-year extension for sanctions applied to roughly 3,000 other targeted individuals and entities. For the remaining approximately 2,600 sanctioned parties, this marks a fundamental shift from the previous mechanism, which required unanimous re-approval votes every six months, a schedule that routinely exposed the alliance to renewed political friction and procedural gridlock.
Security Guarantees and Direct Rebuke From Kyiv
Latvian Prime Minister Andris Kulbergs clarified the domestic calculations behind Riga's concession, stating that France had agreed to enter formal discussions regarding Latvia's participation in a French nuclear deterrence framework. Furthermore, Paris committed to reinforcing its physical military footprint within Latvian territory. While these bilateral security arrangements satisfied Riga's defensive requirements, they did not diminish the backlash emanating from Ukraine.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiha criticized the European decision on social platform X, stating that Moscow was celebrating an outcome that offered a sense of impunity, delivered a humiliation to Brussels, and exposed deep fractures among European partners. Sybiha urged individual EU member states not to let the matter rest, advocating that capitals enact unilateral national sanctions against both Usmanov and Fridman. Latvia confirmed that it intends to implement domestic measures against both figures regardless of the bloc-wide exemption.
Kremlin Reactions and Broader Geopolitical Implications
In Moscow, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov welcomed the prospect of Usmanov and Fridman being excised from the punitive framework. Peskov asserted that all sanctions enacted by Brussels against Russian citizens are inherently illegitimate, maintaining that every Russian national currently listed should have their restrictions rescinded entirely. The contentious compromise highlights the mounting legal, logistical, and political complexities European governments confront as they attempt to sustain long-term economic pressure while managing the conflicting domestic and regional priorities of sovereign member states.
