{
  "id": 7219640,
  "title": "France’s support for removing Russian businessman Alisher Usmanov from the EU sanctions list sparks ‘huge frustration,’ diplomats tell Euronews",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/14/frances-support-for-removing-russian-businessman-alisher-usmanov-from",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-09-14T01:49:43.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Meduza (English)",
    "slug": "meduza-english",
    "url": "https://meduza.io/en/news/2026/09/14/france-s-support-for-removing-russian-businessman-alisher-usmanov-from-the-eu-sanctions-list-sparks-huge-frustration-diplomats-tell-euronews"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "European diplomats have expressed displeasure over France's support for removing Russian businessman Alisher Usmanov from the EU sanctions list, Euronews reported. The EU sanctions are set to renew in September, but Slovakia has repeatedly urged the EU to lift the sanctions on Usmanov and Mikhail Fridman. France has agreed to support Usmanov's removal from the sanctions list as part of a political compromise. However, this move is expected to complicate ongoing negotiations with other EU countries. The frustration among EU diplomats is significant, with Euronews sources stating that France's position has caused \"huge frustration.\" Just recently, Roman Abramovich, another Russian businessman, faced his third legal challenge against the sanctions, demanding their removal and compensation for non-material damages from the EU. Meduza, the news outlet behind this report, is committed to transparency about its use of artificial intelligence in the newsroom, with all stories reviewed by human editors before publication.",
  "summary": "France has backed Slovakia’s proposal to lift sanctions on Russian businessman Alisher Usmanov, unnamed European diplomats told Euronews.",
  "key_points": [
    "France supports removing Alisher Usmanov from EU sanctions list",
    "EU diplomats express huge frustration over France's stance",
    "Slovakia repeatedly urges EU to lift sanctions on Usmanov and Mikhail Fridman"
  ],
  "editors_take": "France's backing for lifting sanctions on Alisher Usmanov sets back EU efforts to maintain a unified stance on Russian oligarchs, sparking frustration among other member states.",
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}