French-Slovak Veto Deepens EU Deadlock on Russia Sanctions Renewal
Ambassadors agreed to a one-week rollover after France and Slovakia blocked renewal unless Alisher Usmanov is removed from the blacklist.
- On Monday, European Union ambassadors in Brussels failed to renew Russia sanctions, leaving the regime governing roughly 3,000 asset freezes one day from expiry after France and Slovakia demanded removal of Russian-Uzbek businessman Alisher Usmanov.
- Slovakia has long pushed to strike Usmanov and Mikhail Fridman from the sanctions list, a request other member states considered politically motivated, after Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoan wrote to Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico on 2 March 2026 requesting support to end what Erdoan termed 'the unfair practice'.
- Diplomats remain baffled by France's sudden alignment with Slovakia, as French officials offered only vague 'national security' justifications without elaboration, while Usmanov was added to the blacklist over his 'close ties' with Russian President Vladimir Putin and stakes in 'key sectors' of Russia's economy.
- Faced with an expiration date, ambassadors extended sanctions for just one week until 22 September, prompting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to rebuke the move, stating Usmanov and Fridman should 'take concrete steps against the war' rather than receive additional opportunities.
- Member states debate a 12-month rollover to align individual sanctions with economic measures extended in June, as Ireland's EU Council presidency emphasized renewal is essential to continue undermining Russia's war machine, with European restrictions having cost Russia more than $1.08 trillion.
42 Articles
42 Articles
Tomorrow a package of sanctions will expire against Russia. The EU will not agree and will only extend it for a few days. According to reports, this is about an oligarch.
EU ambassadors have agreed to extend the sanctions list, affecting some 3,000 Russian individuals and companies, by one week, to eliminate the risk of the measures ending on 15 September and to give Brussels time for the new negotiations scheduled for 22 September.
An unusual Franco-Slovak veto has plunged the European Union into a new impasse over the continuation of sanctions against Russia, forcing the ambassadors of member states to extend the punitive measures for only a week, in an attempt to find a compromise.France and Slovakia continue to demand removal from the black list of Russian-Uzbek businessman Alisher Usmanov, in a common position that has puzzled Brussels and significantly made it difficu…
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