Latvian PM says Latvia was only EU country to oppose lifting of sanctions on Russian oligarchs

Latvian Prime Minister Andris Kulbergs has said Latvia was the only EU country to oppose the lifting of sanctions on Russian oligarchs Alisher Usmanov and Mikhail Fridman.

Source: Baltic states news website Delfi, as reported by European Pravda

Details: Kulbergs' comments concerned the EU's decision to remove Russian oligarchs Mikhail Fridman and Alisher Usmanov from its sanctions list.

He believes the issue of extending the sanctions should have been resolved in a way that would not leave Latvia isolated. He added that the Baltic states should also have agreed on a common position.

The Latvian prime minister said that "the goal should have been to achieve an outcome in which Latvia would not become the last country in Europe left alone".

He noted that all EU member states had reached an agreement, leaving Latvia as the only country opposed to the lifting of sanctions on Usmanov and Fridman.

Kulbergs added that, to his surprise, Lithuania and Estonia had already agreed to remove the two men from the sanctions list. He stressed that the Baltic states should maintain a common position and that the issue needed to be resolved.

"The choice was tough: either a really bad situation or simply a bad one," the prime minister said.

He was also surprised that Latvia's interests had effectively never been discussed.

The prime minister said Latvia had remained firm in its position and had not given its consent, but had been forced to abstain rather than vote against the decision as a whole.

Background:

• The EU extended restrictive measures against individuals responsible for undermining or threatening Ukraine's territorial integrity, sovereignty and independence for another 36 months, but removed Usmanov and Fridman from the sanctions list.
• It was reported that France planned to "exchange" Usmanov's delisting for the release of several French citizens who are currently in prison in Azerbaijan.
• Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha called the move "shameful".

Subscribe on Patreon to back our journalism long-term.