Paris launched a surprise campaign earlier this month calling for sanctions to be dropped on mining and telecommunications billionaire Usmanov and citing a “national security” issue at play. Luxembourg, meanwhile, had long been asking for the de-listing of banking magnate Fridman, who is suing the country for access to assets frozen by the Grand Duchy.
“It is done,” said one of the diplomats. “The question is what Baltic countries got in return.”
The agreement, reached in a meeting of ambassadors behind closed doors, will take effect if capitals submit their written consent by 6 p.m.
Three-year extension
A number of other countries — including Nordic and Baltic nations — had warned the move could jeopardize the entire sanctions list, leading to others lobbying for their specific interests. However, as part of the deal, the current selection of names will be kept in place for three years, effectively freezing any further debate until 2029.
France had riled other EU members by announcing its support for Usmanov at short notice, saying only that it was part of considerations around “a specific national security issue” and that Paris “wishes to respond positively to international partners who have approached us regarding Mr. Usmanov.”
The Financial Times reported that the delisting came as part of a deal that could see French nationals released from detention in Azerbaijan. Paris has significantly stepped up its role in the South Caucasus in support of Armenia, a pro-EU democracy that has spent decades locked in conflict with Azerbaijan.
However, some are concerned about the precedent that would set, if true. “If the reports are confirmed, Europe must not turn sanctions into a bargaining chip,” said Latvian MEP Rihards Kols, a member of the Parliament’s foreign affairs committee. “France has every right and duty to seek the release of its citizens. But the price cannot be relief for a Russian oligarch sanctioned for his links to the Putin regime.”