EU diplomats taste a "bitter aftertaste" from lifting sanctions on Putin’s "favorite oligarchs" – the media

For European diplomats, it has become a "hard blow" to lift sanctions on two Russian billionaires—Alisher Usmanov and Mikhail Fridman, who are described as Putin's "favorite oligarchs". This is stated in a Euronews article published on 24 September.

To offset this unpleasant step, they extended sanctions against all other members of the list (roughly 3 people) for an unprecedented period of 36 months, but the "bitter aftertaste" remained, the media writes.

One diplomat called the decision to impose sanctions "unpleasant," and another said that "nobody is pleased with this."

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"Pandora's box opened." How the "nuclear umbrella" and a French businessman became the price of Fridman and Usmanov's forgiveness

24 September, 13.20

World

Both Usmanov and Fridman challenged the sanctions against them in court. However, they failed to achieve success there, so the governments of countries stepped in. Lifting restrictions from Usmanov and his sister Gulbakhor in 2022 year was requested by Uzbekistan (the oligarch was born there and also holds Uzbek citizenship), arguing that sanctions hinder investment and charitable projects. Several times Hungary defended him, but under pressure from other EU countries Budapest conceded. In 2022-2025 year Usmanov achieved partial successes: his sisters— Saodat Narziyeva and Gulbakhor Ismailova, on whose yacht Dilbar worth about $600 million is registered—were removed from the list.

France had previously lobbied for the removal of Fridman from the sanctions lists, and Luxembourg supported him this year.

Slovakia also sought to lift sanctions on both, but the main— and much more successful—lobbyist became France.

Paris demanded the removal of Usmanov, citing "national security considerations." According to Financial Times, Paris linked this issue to an agreement to release several French citizens held in Azerbaijan. Among them was French businessman Martin Riain, head of Mercorama. After the Azerbaijani president Ilham Aliyev announced the decision, Riain was pardoned among a number of prisoners.

France's involvement in this process shocked European diplomats, say Euronews sources. Some diplomats believe that without France's involvement, Slovakia would never have managed to strike Usmanov off the blacklist.

Although diplomats understand France's efforts to free its citizens, there is concern that Paris opened Pandora's box and created a dangerous precedent that will prompt oligarchs to buy off sanctions.

"All of this shows that consensus hurts everyone, even France. We urgently need to push for qualified majority voting on sanctions," said one of the diplomats interviewed by the channel. The principle of unanimity in decision-making makes the EU vulnerable on this issue, he says.