France and Slovakia seem to have succeeded in their attempt to remove two Russian oligarchs from the EU sanctions list. This compromise came on Monday, after weeks of delaying the renewal of the 3,000 sanctions imposed on Russia by the community bloc, writes Kyiv Independent.
According to the cited publication, EU ambassadors have agreed to extend the sanctions for 36 months, instead of 12 months as initially planned, three diplomatic sources said, quoted by Kyiv Independent under the protection of anonymity. The extended term is intended to compensate for the removal from the list of Russian businessmen Alisher Usmanov and Mikhail Fridman.
The publication notes that the ambassadors of the member states were to meet during the evening – for the third time in a single day – to confirm that they have reached an agreement.
In the event that the compromise is not formalized, meaning the European Union countries fail to unanimously vote for the renewal of the 3,000 sanctions decided by the community bloc as a result of Russia’s war in Ukraine, these will expire and will no longer apply to Moscow.
Why does France want to remove a Russian oligarch from the sanctions list?
France and Slovakia wish to remove oligarchs Alisher Usmanov and Mikhail Fridman from the list.
Slovakia has expressed this position for some time, but France’s decision to support this movement was a surprise to some.
Paris would have joined the proposal because it is presumed to be pressured by Azerbaijan, where two of its citizens are allegedly detained for political reasons.
Ukraine’s Reaction
Ukraine stated on Monday that it would be “unacceptable” for the European Union to remove two Russian oligarchs from the sanctions list, considering that this decision would send a “negative signal to Russia”, reports AFP, according to Agerpres.
The two oligarchs, Alisher Usmanov and Mikhail Friedman, “were added to the list because they are part of Russia’s aggressive regime, which is waging a war of aggression against Ukraine,” wrote the Ukrainian Foreign Minister, Andrii Sybiha, on X.
“What has changed? Nothing. Their removal from the sanctions list is unacceptable and would send the wrong signal to Moscow just when pressure needs to be increased”, he added further.