UK PM tells Zelensky Britain will keep sanctions on Usmanov and Fridman

British Prime Minister Andy Burnham met Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York this week and told him he disagrees with the European Union's decision to remove sanctions against Russian billionaires Alisher Usmanov and Mikhail Fridman, Bloomberg reported, citing sources familiar with the matter, as published by Yevropeiska Pravda.

According to these sources, Burnham told Zelensky that the United Kingdom will not lift its own sanctions on Usmanov and Fridman. He said Ukraine's allies must continue upholding their sanctions to keep pressure on Russia and push it toward ending the war.

A Downing Street readout of the meeting did not mention the EU decision, but noted that the prime minister spoke about the need to keep intensifying pressure on Russia through sanctions to force it to the negotiating table.

A rare split

The comments point to an unusual disagreement between the UK and EU, whose sanctions policy toward Russia has largely remained aligned since Moscow's full-scale invasion began in 2022.

Both Fridman and Usmanov have had ties to Britain. Usmanov is best known internationally for his investment in London football club Arsenal, which he exited in 2018. Fridman moved to London in 2013 but left the country after sanctions were imposed on him.

On September 22, the Council of the EU decided to extend restrictive measures against those responsible for undermining or threatening Ukraine's territorial integrity, sovereignty and independence for another 36 months, but removed Usmanov and Fridman from the list.