Latvia Blocks EU Deal to Lift Sanctions on Usmanov and Fridman

Latvia has refused to support a European Union deal that would have lifted sanctions on Russian businessmen Alisher Usmanov and Mikhail Fridman in exchange for a three-year extension of the bloc's Russia sanctions list, which covers roughly 3,000 individuals and entities. Latvian Prime Minister Andris Kulbergs said the situation is not simple, noting that extending the sanctions requires unanimous agreement among all 27 EU member states and that failure to reach a deal by the deadline would put the entire list at risk, not just the two oligarchs. He argued that a 36-month extension is the right step but that the price should not be removing two individuals from the list. The dispute follows a September 21 agreement among EU ambassadors to move toward delisting Usmanov and Fridman as part of the extension package. Deutsche Welle reported that the EU had dropped sanctions on the two oligarchs, while the Latvian account indicates Riga blocked the arrangement. The standoff leaves the renewal of the full sanctions regime uncertain as the deadline approaches.

Global Impact

Political: The impasse exposes the fragility of EU unanimity on Russia sanctions, handing Moscow a narrative of Western division and testing the bloc's ability to sustain its pressure campaign. Economic: A lapse in the sanctions list would free up assets and transactions linked to roughly 3,000 individuals and entities, potentially easing constraints on Russian metals, telecom, and financial interests while complicating EU enforcement.