Michael Martin
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EU extends Russia-related sanctions for three years, removing Usmanov and Fridman in compromise
EU ambassadors agreed on 22 September to extend EU sanctions linked to Ukraine's territorial integrity for 36 months, until 22 September 2029. The deal, the first for three years instead of the usual six months, saved a regime covering nearly 3,000 individuals and entities that was due to lapse at midnight. It came at the cost of removing Russian oligarchs Alisher Usmanov and Mikhail Fridman from the list, a move Ukraine's government publicly criticised and that Latvia, Lithuania and others opposed.