Sybyha Responded to Proposals to Remove Usmanov and Fridman from the Sanctions List – Pidozra

The Foreign Minister: Excluding them from the sanctions lists is unacceptable

Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha stated that reducing sanctions against Russian businessmen Alisher Usmanov and Mikhail Fridman is unacceptable. This is reported by Hlavkom with reference to the MFA.

“Usmanov and Fridman were included in the sanctions lists because of their affiliation with the Russian insurgent regime that is waging an aggressive war against Ukraine. What has changed? Nothing. Excluding them from the sanctions lists is unacceptable and will send a false signal to Moscow at a time when pressure should be intensified,” the minister emphasized.

Sybiha added: “At the same time, sanctions must be tightened, expand individual sanction lists, and extend the sanction period from six to twelve months, so that unproductive ideas that may please Russian oligarchs do not arise.”

On the eve of this, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky emphasized the inadmissibility of any discussions about softening sanctions against Russian business that supports the war, especially in light of Russia’s systemic attacks on civilian objects and enterprises.

As a reminder, recently EU ambassadors did not reach a consensus on extending personal restrictions against Russia. The main sticking point remains demands by some countries to lift sanctions from Russian businessmen. In particular, Slovakia insists on removing oligarch Alisher Usmanov and Mikhail Fridman from the sanctions list, while France has also demanded lifting restrictions from Usmanov and completely removing him from the EU blacklist.