The Ukrainian Foreign Minister has labeled the European Union’s decision to remove oligarchs Alisher Usmanov and Mikhail Friedman from its sanctions list as “outrageous.” According to reports, Kyiv made considerable efforts to prevent this outcome, but the matter remains unresolved.
In a bold response, the minister stated, “You have removed two oligarchs, but we will add 20 more. We have prepared a list of over 20 Russian oligarchs, and we will also reinstate the two removed. We are currently formalizing this process.”
While the minister did not elaborate on how Ukraine intends to implement these new sanctions, he highlighted that Kyiv is also working to include Usmanov and Friedman in the national sanctions lists of other countries.
Ukraine’s president has reportedly endorsed this initiative, and Canada has confirmed that it will not remove the oligarchs from its sanctions list. Ukraine is also counting on sanctions from the United Kingdom, Japan, Australia, and other nations.
Context
- Slovakia and France advocated for the removal of Friedman and Usmanov from the EU sanctions list, with Paris citing “concerns for national security” and linking the potential lifting of sanctions on Usmanov to the release of several French citizens from Azerbaijani prisons.
- On the evening of September 22, the EU Council extended sanctions for over 3,000 individuals and entities but chose not to renew them for three individuals, including Friedman and Usmanov, and one organization. The spokesperson for the Irish presidency of the EU Council explained that this decision required a “difficult compromise” among European leaders.
