Britain will maintain sanctions against Usmanov and Fridman despite Brussels' decision

Britain will not follow the European Union's decision to lift sanctions on Russian billionaires Alisher Usmanov and Mikhail Fridman. This was stated by UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham to President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskiy during a meeting in New York.

Bloomberg reports this, citing sources familiar with the situation. The British government did not officially confirm this part of the conversation. At the same time, the Downing Street statement on the meeting noted that Burnham and Zelenskiy agreed on the need to pressure Russia further with sanctions to push Moscow toward meaningful negotiations.

According to Bloomberg, Burnham, during a private discussion, said that he does not support the EU's decision to remove Usmanov and Fridman from the sanctions list. He also urged Kyiv's allies not to ease pressure on Russia.

22 September, EU member states agreed to extend sanctions on about 3 thousand Russian individuals and entities for three years—to September 2029 of that year. At the same time, Usmanov and Fridman were removed from the list that provides for the freezing of assets and travel bans to be lifted for them.

The decision was the result of a compromise among EU countries. France insisted on deleting Usmanov from the list, while Luxembourg pressed for a similar decision regarding Fridman. Latvia initially opposed such a step but ultimately abstained, allowing agreement on extending the sanctions regime.

Ukraine opposed removing both businessmen from the sanctions list. Zelenskiy urged the EU to maintain the restrictions and emphasized the need to intensify pressure on Moscow until Russia takes concrete steps to end the war.

Thus, London's approach to Usmanov and Fridman differs from the EU's decision. At the same time, the British government publicly reaffirmed the general position on the necessity of further tightening sanctions pressure on Russia.