Reuters: EU may lift sanctions against Russian businessmen Usmanov and Fridman

The European Union may lift sanctions against Russian businessmen Alisher Usmanov and Mykhailo Fridman today.

This is reported by Reuters sources.

The decision will enter into force automatically if none of the EU countries opposes it by 19:00 Kyiv time. The day before, the European Union extended personal sanctions against Russia for another week — now they will be in effect until midnight on September 22. During this time, member states must agree on a further decision.

One of the reasons for the disagreement of some countries regarding the extension of sanctions is the presence of Usmanov on the list. Previously, France and Slovakia demanded his exclusion. Croatia and Italy supported the decision in order to reach a compromise.

Friedman, meanwhile, is seeking $16 billion from Luxembourg over the freezing of his assets after the sanctions were imposed. The case is being heard by an international arbitration court in Hong Kong. According to Reuters sources, Luxembourg feared that its position in the case would be weakened if Usmanov were removed from the sanctions list separately.

• The EU imposed sanctions on Usmanov and Fridman in 2022 after Russia began its full-scale invasion of Ukraine. The restrictions include a ban on entry to the EU and a freeze on assets in the bloc.

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