EU not planning to reinstate sanctions against Russian oligarchs Usmanov and Fridman

The European Union does not plan to raise the issue of reinstating sanctions against Russian oligarchs Alisher Usmanov and Mikhail Fridman in the near future after they were recently removed from the EU sanctions list under pressure from France and Slovakia.

Source: Kaja Kallas, EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, following the EU-Moldova Association Council meeting on 5 October, as reported by European Pravda

Details: Usmanov and Fridman will not be added back to the EU sanctions list in the near future.

"I don't see this on these two persons happening anytime soon," Kallas said when asked whether sanctions against Fridman and Usmanov could be reinstated.

She noted that the EU is currently working on around 1,600 new listings.

Quote: "What I want to reiterate in relation to the decisions made two weeks ago is that 2,998 sanctions or listings will remain so for three years. So we don't have this decision of rollover every six months."

Details: Kallas added that EU member states "are free to put forward names that should be included in the sanctions list" and that it is the member states that ultimately make the decision.

Background:

• Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said Kyiv will seek the reinstatement of sanctions against Usmanov and Fridman.
• Lithuania has imposed national sanctions on Usmanov and Fridman. Estonia has also followed suit.

Subscribe on Patreon to back our journalism long-term.