The decision to remove Russian oligarchs Alisher Usmanov and Mikhail Fridman from the sanctions list is shameful and unjustified.
This was stated by Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha.
In his words, “Moscow is celebrating because it has got what it wanted: a sense of impunity, the humiliation of the EU and division among Europeans”.
“But there is still a way to spoil the celebrations in Moscow. I urge all EU member states to announce right now that they are introducing their own national sanctions against these two individuals,” the Ukrainian minister said.
- As reported, EU countries reached a difficult compromise on extending sanctions against Russia and removed two Russian billionaires — Alisher Usmanov and Mikhail Fridman — from the blacklist.
- At the same time, bloc members extended restrictions on almost 3,000 individuals and legal entities supporting the war against Ukraine for three years at once, instead of the usual six months.
- Latvia protested against the oligarchs’ removal, but in the end it was agreed that it would abstain during the vote on the sanctions decision.