France stalls EU Russia sanctions renewal in dispute over oligarch's de-listing
EU envoys have extended the current Russia sanctions listings by seven days to September 22 after failing to agree on a six-month renewal, with the standoff centred on whether to remove Russian-Uzbek billionaire Alisher Usmanov from the list.
European Union envoys have agreed to push back the expiry of the bloc's Russia sanctions listings by seven days, to September 22, after member states failed to reach agreement on the usual six-month renewal. The decision was confirmed by a spokesperson for Ireland, which currently holds the EU presidency.
Dispute centres on one name
According to EU diplomats, the sticking point in the negotiations is whether Russian-Uzbek billionaire Alisher Usmanov should be removed from the sanctions list. France has joined Slovakia in calling for his de-listing, with both countries citing national security concerns as their justification.
The source report does not detail the specific national security concerns raised by France and Slovakia. Nonetheless, the fact that the broader six-month renewal has stalled over a single individual's status underscores how contentious the question of maintaining or removing sanctioned persons has become among member states.
A week to find common ground
The seven-day extension gives EU member states additional time to try to resolve their differences before the new September 22 deadline. Should no consensus be reached within that window, the bloc may need to grant a further short-term extension, or risk parts of the sanctions regime lapsing for the individuals in question.
The episode highlights the fragility of EU unanimity on sanctions policy, where a single member state's objection can hold up the renewal of the bloc's collective stance toward Russia.
