Ukraine has warned the European Union that removing two Russian-linked businessmen from its sanctions list would be "unacceptable", as EU countries negotiate the renewal of measures imposed over Russia's invasion.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said Alisher Usmanov and Mikhail Fridman were sanctioned because of their links to Russia's political and economic establishment and its war against Ukraine.
"What has changed? Nothing," Sybiha wrote on X on Monday. "Delisting is unacceptable and would send the wrong signal to Moscow at the very moment when pressure needs to increase."
EU countries have been negotiating the renewal of sanctions targeting thousands of Russian individuals and entities. The measures include asset freezes and travel bans.
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France has pushed for Russian-Uzbek billionaire Usmanov to be removed from the list, citing national security considerations. According to the Financial Times, the request is linked to efforts to secure the release of French nationals detained in Azerbaijan. France has not publicly confirmed such an arrangement.
Luxembourg has meanwhile sought the removal of Fridman if Usmanov is delisted. Fridman is pursuing a $16 billion arbitration claim against Luxembourg, and EU diplomats said the country feared its position could be weakened if sanctions were lifted only for Usmanov.
EU ambassadors reached a provisional agreement on Monday to remove both men from the sanctions list, provided no member state objects within the following hours. The proposal forms part of a broader deal to renew sanctions against thousands of other individuals and entities for three years.
Both Usmanov and Fridman have been subject to EU sanctions since 2022.
