Britain Will Not Lift Sanctions on Usmanov and Friedman Despite EU Decision, Bloomberg

Britain will not lift sanctions on Usmanov and Friedman despite EU decision, - Bloomberg

Great Britain will not revoke its own sanctions against Russian billionaires Alisher Usmanov and Mikhail Friedman, despite the European Union's decision to remove them from the sanction list. Prime Minister of the United Kingdom Andy Burnham stated that London does not agree with the EU decision and believes that sanctions against Russian businessmen must remain as a tool of pressure on Moscow.

This was reported by Bloomberg journalist Alex Viehkam. He quotes Burnham’s conversation with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy during a private meeting in New York on the eve of United Nations General Assembly meetings.

According to the British prime minister, Ukraine’s allies should continue the pressure of sanctions on Russia to push for an end to its war against Ukraine.

Burnham told Zelenskiy that London would not lift its own sanctions on Usmanov and Friedman. And this decision essentially matters much more for Russian oligarchs, as both billionaires had business interests in the United Kingdom even before Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

London’s decision stood as a separate position amid the EU’s move to extend sanctions for three years against about 3 thousand individuals and entities connected with Russia, but at the same time remove Usmanov and Friedman from the list. Usmanov was removed at France’s request, and Friedman’s removal was pushed by Luxembourg.

Burnham emphasized to Zelenskiy that Ukraine’s allies should maintain sanctions to pressure Russia and achieve the end of the war.

“This is a rare case of divergence between the UK and EU positions on sanctions against Russia,” the journalist noted.

Russian oligarch Mikhail Friedman was surprised that the EU lifted sanctions from him, Bloomberg reports, citing sources. According to the sources, Friedman has already almost lost hope of obtaining the lifting of restrictions, although he previously managed to win a few legal victories in cases against sanctions.

According to the publication, Friedman effectively became a peripheral beneficiary of the efforts of another Russian oligarch – Alisher Usmanov, who sought to have himself removed from the sanctions list. People familiar with the matter say that important role in this process was played by Usmanov’s "complex ties" with leaders of Uzbekistan and Azerbaijan – Shavkat Mirziyoyev and Ilham Aliyev.

Several participants of closed-door meetings told the publication that in talks with the Russian billionaires over the past years, Putin repeatedly stated that personal sanctions do not concern him and that businessmen must independently seek ways to have them lifted. Usmanov, who is not considered one of Putin’s closest associates, apparently took advantage of this advice.

However, since Friedman and Usmanov remain under sanctions by the United States and the United Kingdom, their removal from the EU list will not restore their life and business to the previous state. Although it may bring significant relief by relaxing asset and transaction restrictions within the EU and easing their ability to travel and conduct business there.