European Union Delays Deadline for Extending Sanctions on Russia
The European Union delayed the extension of sanctions on Russia for a week after opposition to removing billionaire Alisher Usmanov, backed by France, within prisoner exchange negotiations, while Ukrainian President Zelensky stressed that the time is not right for lifting sanctions.
Translated by Qiyas from الجريدة — Original source
EU member states postponed on Monday the deadline for extending sanctions against Russia over the war in Ukraine, after France demanded the removal of billionaire Alisher Usmanov from the blacklist.
The EU’s blacklist, which includes around 3,000 individuals and entities and requires renewal every six months, was set to expire on Wednesday.
However, ambassadors from the 27 EU member states delayed the deadline by a week, following resistance to late efforts by Paris to remove the 73-year-old Uzbek-Russian billionaire Usmanov from the list.
Usmanov, a former major shareholder in the English football club Arsenal, was added to the EU sanctions list in 2022 due to what Brussels described as his close ties with the Kremlin.
A spokesperson for Ireland, which holds the rotating EU presidency, said consultations would continue and further discussions were expected.
He emphasized that renewing the lists was essential to continue undermining Russia’s war machine and maintaining pressure on individuals and entities that support, enable, and benefit from it.
EU diplomats said France surprised its counterparts by backing a Slovak request to remove Usmanov’s name from the list.
French officials confirmed they were seeking to remove Usmanov from the list but did not clarify the motives behind the move.
The Financial Times reported that sources familiar with the matter said Paris was pushing in this direction as part of a prisoner exchange deal that includes several French citizens detained in Azerbaijan.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy commented in his daily address: “Certainly, this is not the right time to lift sanctions.”
He added: “Certainly, this is not the right time to save Russian oligarchs from sanctions. Nor is it the right time for Europe to offer gifts to Russia.”
