Key facts
- The EU agreed to lift sanctions on Russian billionaires Alisher Usmanov and Mikhail Fridman.
- France pushed for the sanctions removal, linking it to the release of French citizens held in Azerbaijan.
- Azerbaijan pardoned French national Martin Ryan, jailed for espionage, shortly after the EU decision.
- France welcomed Ryan's pardon as a humanitarian gesture.
- The decision to lift sanctions faced backlash from some EU member states, including the Baltic states.
- Ukraine expressed shock and questioned the magnitude of the decision to delist the two billionaires.
The European Union is facing significant criticism from member states and Ukraine after agreeing to lift sanctions on Russian billionaires Alisher Usmanov and Mikhail Fridman. The decision, made on Tuesday, followed pressure from France, which reportedly linked the move to Azerbaijan's use of the sanctions case to pressure Paris over two French citizens held there.
Azerbaijan subsequently pardoned French national Martin Ryan, who was jailed for espionage, a move France described as a "humanitarian gesture." Ryan had denied the charges and was serving a 10-year sentence. Another French national, Anass Derraz, remains jailed in Azerbaijan on corruption charges.
The EU's decision to remove sanctions on Usmanov and Fridman, who were sanctioned following Russia's invasion of Ukraine, has exposed divisions within the bloc. Latvia abstained from the vote, with its foreign minister calling the EU decision "dangerous." Other governments felt compelled to accept France's demand, which was linked to the renewal of Russia-related sanctions on approximately 3,000 other individuals and organizations for the next three years.
Critics, including financier Bill Browder, warned that the move could encourage other sanctioned oligarchs to seek leverage through "tinpot dictatorships." Ukrainian officials expressed shock, questioning the value of delisting individuals of such magnitude, even as the EU reiterated its commitment to imposing further sanctions on Russia's military industrial complex.