EU extends Ukraine-related sanctions three years but drops Usmanov and Fridman in compromise
EU ambassadors agreed on 22 September to extend the bloc's individual sanctions related to Ukraine's territorial integrity for 36 months, until 22 September 2029, in a compromise that removes Russian oligarchs Alisher Usmanov and Mikhail Fridman from the list. Latvia, the only holdout, lifted its veto and abstained, and announced it will impose its own national sanctions against the two men.
Key points
- EU Council extended sanctions covering nearly 3,000 listed individuals and entities for 36 months, until 22 September 2029 — the first three-year renewal instead of the usual six months.
- Russian oligarchs Alisher Usmanov and Mikhail Fridman were excluded from the EU sanctions list as part of the compromise.
- Slovakia pushed for the removal of both oligarchs; France pushed for Usmanov; one source adds Luxembourg pushed for Fridman.
- Latvia publicly opposed the exclusions, initially blocked the decision on 21 September, then lifted its veto on 22 September and abstained in the Council vote.
- Latvia announced it will impose national sanctions against Usmanov and Fridman and instructed its Foreign Ministry to prepare the necessary legislation.
- Lithuania also publicly opposed delistings; Lithuanian Deputy Foreign Minister Sigitas Mitkus said removing individuals from the lists was a bad idea.
- Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky thanked Latvia and called the delistings self-defeating and counterproductive; Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha called the EU decision shameful and unjustified.
Why it matters
The renewal was set to expire at midnight on 22 September; without agreement the entire regime covering nearly 3,000 listed individuals and entities would have lapsed automatically. The compromise is the first time the regime has been extended for three years rather than six months, raising the bar for future challenges. Delisting Usmanov and Fridman through demands from individual member states sets a precedent for future politically driven exclusions and exposed intra-EU divisions between Baltic and Scandinavian states on one side and Slovakia, France and Luxembourg on the other. Ukraine's government publicly criticised the move as a political win for Moscow and called on EU states to impose national sanctions as a workaround.
What happened
EU ambassadors reached agreement on 22 September to extend the bloc's individual sanctions related to Ukraine's territorial integrity for 36 months, until 22 September 2029. The extension covers nearly 3,000 individuals and legal entities and is the first time the regime has been renewed for three years instead of the usual six months. As part of the compromise, Russian oligarchs Alisher Usmanov and Mikhail Fridman were removed from the sanctions list. Slovakia pushed for the removal of both men; France pushed for Usmanov; one source adds that Luxembourg pushed for Fridman. Voting on 21 September was not completed after Latvia publicly opposed the exclusions. On the morning of 22 September Coreper initially failed to reach agreement, before Latvia lifted its veto and abstained in the Council vote. Latvia's government instructed its Foreign Ministry to prepare national sanctions against both oligarchs and announced it will use all available legal tools to prevent the unblocking of their funds in Latvia. The EU Council also decided not to renew sanctions against three individuals and one organisation and to remove three deceased persons from the list.
How Ukrainian sources describe it
Ukrainian coverage centres the political fallout. President Zelensky is quoted thanking Latvia — including President Edgars Rinkēvičs and Prime Minister Andris Kulbergs — and calling the delistings self-defeating and counterproductive after meeting European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen in New York on 22 September. Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha called the EU decision shameful and unjustified, said Moscow is celebrating, and urged all EU member states to impose their own national sanctions against Usmanov and Fridman. Ukrainian sources foreground Latvia's and Lithuania's public opposition and present the Baltic and Scandinavian states as principled allies resisting a precedent that benefits Moscow.
How international sources describe it
International coverage frames the episode as a compromise that preserved the wider sanctions regime but exposed intra-EU divisions. France's push to delist Usmanov was linked by diplomats to securing the release of French citizens detained in Azerbaijan; Luxembourg's push to delist Fridman was linked to a roughly $16 billion arbitration claim Fridman brought against Luxembourg over frozen assets. After Latvia lifted its veto, France reportedly agreed to strengthen its military presence in Latvia and to open negotiations on Latvia's participation in a French nuclear deterrence initiative.
Where reporting differs
The number of individuals and entities covered by the extended sanctions regime is given as nearly 3,000 in most sources but as more than 2,600 in the Latvian government statement. Sources also differ on which EU states drove the exclusions: Slovakia is consistently named for both oligarchs, but reporting varies on whether France is the main lobbyist for Usmanov alone and on whether Luxembourg also pushed for Fridman's removal as part of a combined Slovak-French-Luxembourg effort.
Background
The EU sanctions regime on Ukraine's territorial integrity has existed since 2014 and was expanded after 2022 to include Vladimir Putin, the Russian leadership, leading oligarchs and former Ukrainian president Viktor Yanukovych. EU personal sanctions include asset freezes and entry bans; renewal requires unanimity among all 27 member states, and failure to agree causes sanctions to lapse automatically. On 14 September the EU had already extended the regime for seven days because Slovakia and France were insisting on delisting the two oligarchs. Sanctions against Usmanov and Fridman were originally imposed in 2022 following Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine.