Irish Presidency of the EU
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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.
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EU Coreper fails to extend Russia sanctions as Slovakia and France push to delist oligarchs
EU ambassadors meeting on 21 September failed to reach consensus on extending the bloc's individual sanctions regime against Russia, which covers roughly 3,000 individuals and entities including Vladimir Putin. Slovakia and France insisted on delisting sanctioned oligarchs Alisher Usmanov and Mikhail Fridman; a compromise deal that would have extended the regime for 36 months in exchange for delisting them collapsed after Latvia blocked it. Coreper scheduled a further meeting for the morning of 22 September, hours before the midnight deadline at which the entire regime would lapse without unanimous renewal. Ukraine's Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha publicly called any delisting unacceptable and a wrong signal to Moscow.