France Calls for Russian Oligarch Alicher Usmanov to Be Removed From EU Sanctions List
According to Le Monde, Paris has caught its European partners off guard by requesting that the Russian oligarch, presented as close to Vladimir Putin, be removed from the list of individuals targeted by European Union sanctions.
The French government has requested the removal of Russian billionaire Alicher Usmanov from the list of European sanctions targeting Russian personalities, according to Le Monde in its September 15, 2026 edition.
According to the newspaper, this initiative has come as a surprise to France's European partners, who were not expecting such a move from Paris toward a businessman reputed to be close to Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Le Monde does not specify, in the details provided, the reasons France has put forward to justify this request, nor the timeline or procedures for any potential removal of Alicher Usmanov from the sanctions list.
Alicher Usmanov is among the Russian oligarchs sanctioned by the European Union since the start of the war in Ukraine, due to his alleged ties to Russian authorities.
This French initiative comes at a time when European sanctions against Russian nationals continue to be the subject of debate among European Union member states, though Le Monde does not provide further detail on the positions of other countries involved at this stage.
Sources
- L’intrigante et soudaine mansuétude de la France à l’égard de l’oligarque russe Alicher Ousmanov — Le Monde — Une
EGazette summarizes reporting from multiple sources; follow the links for the originals.
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