EU Drops Two Russian Oligarchs From Sanctions List in Bloc Compromise
Alisher Usmanov and Mikhail Fridman were removed as the EU extended Russia war-related sanctions on nearly 3,000 others for three years.
The European Union has agreed to delist two prominent Russian billionaires, Alisher Usmanov and Mikhail Fridman, from its sanctions regime as part of a last-minute compromise reached ahead of a Tuesday deadline, according to officials. The removal came despite opposition from the vast majority of the bloc's 27 member states, underscoring the procedural constraints that govern EU restrictive measures.
Ireland's EU presidency described the outcome as "a difficult compromise," reflecting the political tension surrounding the decision. EU sanctions require unanimous approval from all member states, a rule that gave holdout nations effective veto power over the broader package and forced concessions on the two oligarchs' listings.
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The agreement nonetheless preserved and extended restrictions targeting nearly 3,000 individuals and entities accused of supporting Russia's war against Ukraine. Those measures were renewed for an additional three years, keeping financial and travel bans in place across the bloc for the bulk of those blacklisted since the 2022 invasion.
The episode highlights a structural vulnerability in EU sanctions policy: the unanimity requirement can compel the removal of specific individuals in order to secure agreement on the wider framework. Analysts and policymakers have long flagged that this consensus mechanism can be exploited as leverage, particularly when sanctions packages face renewal deadlines.
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