Ukraine’s foreign minister lambasts EU delisting of Usmanov and Fridman

Ukraine’s foreign minister called the EU’s move to drop two Russian billionaires from the sanctions list “shameful and unjustifiable,” urging member states to impose national measures of their own.

“Moscow is celebrating because it got what it wanted: a sense of impunity, the humiliation of the EU, and division among Europeans,” Andrii Sybiha wrote on X after diplomats sealed the deal. “But there is still a way to spoil the celebrations in Moscow. I urge all EU member states to announce now that they will impose their own national sanctions on these two individuals.”

The decision to delist Usmanov and Fridman is shameful and unjustifiable.
Moscow is celebrating because it got what it wanted: a sense of impunity, the humiliation of the EU, and division among Europeans.
But there is still a way to spoil the celebrations in Moscow. I urge all…
— Andrii Sybiha 🇺🇦 (@andrii_sybiha) September 22, 2026

The outburst followed a last-minute compromise in Brussels. After Latvia dropped its veto and opted for a “constructive abstention”, EU envoys agreed on Tuesday to remove Alisher Usmanov and Mikhail Fridman from the blacklist while rolling over sanctions on roughly 3,000 other Russia-linked individuals and entities for three years. The formal written procedure still has to be completed, but the political agreement is done.

The bargain ended two weeks of deadlock that had threatened to let the entire individual-sanctions regime expire. France had shocked partners by pushing for Usmanov’s delisting, citing national-security considerations widely linked to efforts to free French nationals detained in Azerbaijan. Luxembourg then demanded the same treatment for Fridman, who is suing the Grand Duchy for access to frozen assets worth billions. Slovakia also pressed for Fridman’s removal. Baltic states and Ukraine had resisted, warning the move would reward pressure and set a dangerous precedent. Latvia’s earlier refusal to sign off on Monday night had been the last obstacle.

Latvia rejects compromise over delisting of oligarchs

In exchange for the two delistings, the remaining listings will now stay in force until 2029 instead of the usual six-month renewal cycle. Diplomats described the longer horizon as the price paid to lock in the rest of the regime and avoid a collapse of unanimity.

Both men have been sanctioned since 2022. The EU originally cited Usmanov’s close ties to Vladimir Putin and Fridman’s alleged support for policies that undermine Ukraine’s territorial integrity. Both have denied the accusations and fought the measures in court. Their fortunes are estimated in the tens of billions of dollars.

Kyiv had already warned that any easing would send the wrong signal while Russia continues its attacks. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy had publicly thanked Latvia for holding out and called for an “unconditional rollover” until Moscow takes concrete steps toward peace. Sybiha’s latest statement goes further, treating the EU-level decision as reversible at national level. Whether any member state follows that call remains to be seen.

Caption: Andriy Sybiha, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine and Kaja Kallas, High Representative of the EU for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, on 11 May 2026 in Brussels [Council Newsroom]