Latvia blocks EU sanctions relief for Russian businessmen Usmanov and Fridman
Latvia refused to support a deal that would lift sanctions against Russian businessmen Alisher Usmanov and Mikhail Fridman in exchange for a three-year extension of the sanctions list, which includes about 3,000 people and organizations linked to Russia.
Latvia has blocked attempts to lift sanctions against Russian businessmen Alisher Usmanov and Mikhail Fridman. The Baltic nation opposes the proposal as it requires the unanimous approval of all 27 EU member states. Prime Minister Andris Kulbergs emphasized that extending the sanctions for all 3,000 individuals and organizations listed would be the right decision, but it should not come at the cost of removing the two prominent individuals from the sanctions list.
On September 21, EU ambassadors had agreed that the sanctions on Usmanov and Fridman would be lifted without objection. However, on September 14, the EU ambassadors had only agreed to extend the sanctions list by one week. The sanctions list is renewed every six months, requiring consensus from all 27 EU member states. This time, disagreements over restrictions on Russian businessmen prevented a six-month extension.
Slovakia and France were in favor of lifting the sanctions against Usmanov, while Slovakia, Hungary, and Luxembourg supported lifting the sanctions against Fridman.
Written by urgent.news from Meduza (English)'s reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
This story
This is one outlet's version. Read the fullest account.
