EU fails to reach agreement on removing Russian oligarchs from sanctions list

European Union member states failed to reach a final agreement on removing Russian billionaires Alisher Usmanov and Mikhail Fridman from the bloc's sanctions list during talks on Monday, with diplomats set to resume discussions on Tuesday.

The EU has maintained a broad sanctions regime against Russian individuals and entities since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, targeting business figures, officials, and companies deemed to have supported the Russian state or benefited from its policies. Usmanov and Fridman, both prominent Russian businessmen, have featured on the EU's sanctions list since shortly after the invasion began.

Sanctions decisions within the EU require consensus among all 27 member states, a requirement that has periodically made it difficult to adjust or update the bloc's restrictive measures, including in cases where individual states have differing views on the treatment of specific individuals.

Neither the specific objections raised by member states nor the details of the proposed changes to the sanctions listings for Usmanov and Fridman were disclosed following Monday's discussions. Both men have previously challenged their inclusion on the sanctions list through legal channels, with mixed results in EU courts.

Diplomats are expected to continue negotiations on Tuesday in an effort to resolve the disagreement, though it remains unclear when, or whether, a final decision on the two individuals' sanctions status will be reached.