Brussels, Sept 21. (dpa/GNA) – The European Union is set to lift sanctions against Russian oligarchs, Alisher Usmanov, and Mikhail Fridman, EU diplomats told dpa.
The sanctions on the billionaires were imposed, days after Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
Official EU documents describe Usmanov as a “pro-Kremlin oligarch with particularly close ties to Russian President Vladimir Putin.”
Meanwhile, Fridman “has been referred to as a top Russian financier and enabler of Putin’s inner circle,” according to the bloc.
The EU’s 27 member states are set to lift the travel ban and asset freezes on the duo, over fears that some could otherwise fail to unanimously back the extension of sanctions against around 3,000 other individuals, entities and companies.
EU sanctions over Russia’s war in Ukraine on individuals and businesses have to be renewed periodically.
According to information obtained by dpa, France and Slovakia campaigned for the easing of sanctions imposed against Usmanov, while Luxembourg pushed for Fridman’s sanctions to be lifted.
GNA