EU countries fail to extend sanctions against Russia: Slovakia and France demand exceptions

On September 14, European Union countries failed to agree on extending one of the sanctions regimes against Russia — the asset freeze covering approximately three thousand individuals and companies linked to Russia.

This was reported by Politico, citing five EU diplomats.

EU ambassadors in Brussels were supposed to agree on the extension of the sanctions on Monday, as the asset freeze regime expires on September 15. Three of the diplomats said the ambassadors plan to meet again for further discussions.

The sticking point was Slovakia’s demand to remove two Russian businessmen — Alisher Usmanov and Mikhail Fridman — from the sanctions list. France proposed a compromise: to remove only Usmanov from the list. Most other countries were not prepared to consider removing anyone from the sanctions list. According to The Financial Times, citing European diplomats, Croatia and Italy also supported the position on Usmanov, while the majority of European states opposed the initiative.

Earlier, Euronews reported that France’s support for the Slovak position caused “extreme irritation” among other EU member states. Slovak Foreign Minister Juraj Blanár had stated back in March regarding the possible removal of Usmanov from the sanctions list:

“We are participating in this discussion and are ready to reach a constructive conclusion based on solid arguments, provided they are truly convincing and have very strong legal grounds,” Blanár said.

In 2025, Hungary also proposed lifting EU sanctions against Usmanov, Fridman, Dmitry Mazepin, and others.

Forbes estimates Alisher Usmanov’s net worth at approximately €12.5 billion. He is the founder and principal shareholder of USM Holdings. The European Union imposed sanctions on Usmanov on February 28, 2022; on March 3 of the same year, the United States and the United Kingdom announced restrictions, followed by Canada on March 11. Russia describes Western sanctions as ineffective and illegitimate.

Usmanov has also been the subject of a tax evasion investigation in Germany — over what his lawyers claim are false assertions about ownership of real estate and other property. The businessman’s lawyers have sought court rulings retracting these claims: a number of foreign media outlets and public figures were compelled to give written undertakings to stop spreading inaccurate information. In particular, Usmanov won cases against the American Forbes, the German Tagesspiegel, and the Austrian Kurier. In May 2025, the Hamburg Regional Court prohibited publications belonging to the media holding Mediahuis Luxembourg S.A. from referring to the businessman as the owner of the superyacht Dilbar. In early September, according to IntelliNews, Usmanov’s lawyers sent a letter to the leadership of the European Commission calling for the sanctions to be lifted — after the media reports that had served as the basis for their introduction were ruled erroneous by courts and removed.