EU sanctions on Russia hit last-minute snag as Latvia blocks oligarch exemptions
Negotiations to extend sanctions regime fail as Baltic state objects to removing two prominent Russian businessmen from blacklist.
What to know
- The EU failed to finalize a sanctions extension deal after Latvia blocked a compromise that would have removed two Russian oligarchs from the blacklist.
- France, Slovakia, and Luxembourg negotiated the exemption as part of broader sanctions extension talks, but hawkish EU countries and Ukraine opposed weakening pressure on Russia.
- EU diplomat Kallas stressed that sanctions remain essential to deprive Russia of funding and that the bloc is pursuing additional sanctions packages alongside the extension.
“Moscow is trying to scare Europe into winding down its support for Ukraine. As Russia is willing to take greater risks, we also need to impose greater costs.”
Kaja Kallas, EU top diplomat · RTE News ↗
Kaja Kallas EU top diplomatAlisher Usmanov Russian-Uzbek billionaire oligarch
Mikhail Fridman Russian billionaire oligarchLatvia EU member state
How it unfolded 1 development · click the chart to see its coverage articlesposts
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Kallas calls for maintaining sanctions amid ongoing negotiations
EU top diplomat Kaja Kallas urged member states to maintain sanctions on Russia, stressing that sanctions are essential to deprive Russia of funding and that the EU is working on a new sanctions package.
“Sanctions are a core pillar of our response to Russia's war…”
— Kaja Kallas -
first by RTE News, 2d ago
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EU top diplomat Kaja Kallas urges the bloc's member states to maintain sanctions targeting Russia over the war on Ukraine, as countries work to push through an extension. 'Sanctions are a core pillar of our response to Russia's war,' she says in New York ➡️ u.
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EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas urged the bloc's member states to maintain sanctions targeting Russia over the war on Ukraine, as countries work to push through an extension.
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Ukraine and hawkish EU states oppose oligarch exemptions — Ukraine reacted furiously to the prospect of lifting sanctions on the two oligarchs, while Poland and Baltic states fiercely opposed easing sanctions and argued pressure on Russia should increase.
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Latvia blocks final approval of oligarch exemptions — The provisional deal failed to secure final approval when Latvia lodged a last-minute objection, preventing the removal of the two Russian businessmen from the blacklist.
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EU reaches provisional deal to remove oligarchs from sanctions list — Multiple diplomats reported that member states had reached a provisional agreement to take both Usmanov and Fridman off the EU's sanctions list as part of a compromise.
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Luxembourg links Fridman removal to Usmanov exemption — Luxembourg seized on France's demand to insist that if Usmanov were removed from the blacklist, sanctions must also be lifted for Mikhail Fridman.
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France and Slovakia push to remove Usmanov from EU sanctions blacklist — France and Slovakia sought to lift sanctions on Russian-Uzbek billionaire Alisher Usmanov, leading to negotiations on modifying the EU's sanctions regime.