PM Kulbergs Calls Emergency Cabinet Meeting Over Plan to Delist Russian Oligarchs from EU Sanctions

Latvian Prime Minister Kulbergs said that on Monday evening, at the last minute, Latvia was asked to state its position on removing Russian oligarchs Alisher Usmanov and Mikhail Fridman from the EU sanctions list, in exchange for extending sanctions on all remaining listed individuals and entities for 36 months — far longer than the usual six or twelve months.

Kulbergs said extending sanctions for 36 months would be the right step, but Latvia cannot accept the price being the simple delisting of the two men. He expressed surprise that Lithuania and Estonia appear to have agreed to the proposal, unlike Latvia.

Consultations with allies

According to the prime minister, intensive communication is currently underway on several fronts — with President Edgars Rinkēvičs and Foreign Minister Baiba Braže, who are on a working visit in New York, as well as with the offices of Ukraine's president and prime minister, the office of the French president, and Brussels. Kulbergs plans to brief cabinet colleagues at Tuesday's emergency meeting.

He noted that extending sanctions requires unanimous agreement from all 27 EU member states, and if no deal is reached by the deadline, not only the delisting decision but the continuation of the entire sanctions list could be at risk.

Braže: sanctions must be strengthened, not weakened

Foreign Minister Braže wrote on social media Monday evening that Latvia's position has remained unchanged — sanctions against Russia must be strengthened, not weakened — and that Latvia therefore cannot accept the proposal being circulated. The prime minister's office confirmed that, due to Latvia's objections, the EU's decision-making process on delisting the two oligarchs is currently on hold.

Reuters, citing diplomats, had reported that EU member state representatives had agreed to lift the Ukraine-invasion-related sanctions on Usmanov and Fridman unless any member state objected within hours. Earlier in September, France and Slovakia had pushed for Usmanov's removal from the list, while Luxembourg later requested lifting sanctions on Fridman.