{
  "id": 8472248,
  "title": "All EU sanctions linked to Russia's war may expire as France, Slovakia seek to delist oligarchs",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/19/all-eu-sanctions-linked-to-russias-war-may-expire-as-france-slovakia",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-09-19T13:43:46.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Kyiv Independent",
    "slug": "kyiv-independent",
    "url": "https://kyivindependent.com/all-eu-sanctions-linked-to-russias-war-may-expire-as-france-slovakia-seek-to-delist-oligarchs/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "All 3,000 EU sanctions targeting individuals aiding Russia's war efforts could be lifted if the European Union, France, and Azerbaijan cannot reach a compromise by September 21, according to EU diplomats speaking to the Kyiv Independent. These sanctions, which make up roughly half of the EU's total sanctions against Russia, are set to be renewed on September 21. Despite Russia's consistent behavior towards Ukraine since the start of the conflict in 2022, the renewal of sanctions against those supporting Moscow was supposed to be a routine vote. However, some leaders have attempted to use these votes to extract concessions from the EU, as any decision on sanctions requires unanimous agreement. Slovakia initiated the push to delist two oligarchs, Mikhail Fridman and Alisher Usmanov, with France subsequently joining the effort. Despite Slovakia's initial stance, EU and national diplomats revealed that they would have agreed to the delisting were it not for France's involvement. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has strongly opposed the idea of lifting sanctions on the two men. The situation has escalated following the latest unsuccessful EU ambassadors' meeting on September 18, with one diplomat describing the scenario as either delisting nobody, two people, or all 3,000 individuals. Some EU diplomats have proposed extending the sanctions for six months instead of renewing them for another year, but the prospect of allowing all sanctions to expire is deemed unfeasible.",
  "summary": "All of the EU's 3,000 sanctions against individuals helping Russia's war effort could be extinguished overnight if Brussels, Paris, and Azerbaijan fail to find a compromise by Sept. 21, EU diplomats told the Kyiv Independent. The EU is set to renew the sanctions against Russia-linked individuals on Sept. 21. The package accounts for about half of the EU's total sanctions listings. Given that…",
  "key_points": [
    "All 3,000 EU sanctions on Russia's war efforts may expire by September 21",
    "Slovakia and France seek to delist oligarchs Mikhail Fridman and Alisher Usmanov",
    "Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky opposes delisting of the two oligarchs"
  ],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 4,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Times of India",
        "title": "‘Resist him forcefully’: Congress hits back at Trump over Russia sanctions law",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/19/resist-him-forcefully-congress-hits-back-at-trump-over-russia",
        "published": "2026-09-19T13:40:28.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "National Post",
        "title": "Trump signs bill authorizing sweeping Russia sanctions",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/19/trump-signs-bill-authorizing-sweeping-russia-sanctions",
        "published": "2026-09-19T14:43:03.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "The Indian Express",
        "title": "Is Russia’s war spilling into Europe? Why Poland, France raised alarm",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/19/is-russias-war-spilling-into-europe-why-poland-france-raised-alarm",
        "published": "2026-09-19T16:16:14.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "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."
}