Estonia Demands an Explanation from France Over the Lifting of EU Sanctions Against Usmanov and Friedman

Estonian Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna stated that France must explain its position after it pushed for the lifting of EU sanctions against Russian-Uzbek billionaire Alisher Usmanov. Luxembourg had pushed for the same decision regarding Russian businessman Mikhail Friedman.

According to Margus Tsahkna, Paris’s position sent “the wrong signal at the wrong time.” The minister noted that he does not understand the French side’s motives and expects an explanation from them.

“One country took a very firm stance that these two individuals (Usmanov and Friedman—ed.) must be removed from the list, otherwise we effectively lose the sanctions regime... This is absolutely the wrong message... They need to explain what they’re doing. No detailed explanations were provided,” stated the Estonian foreign minister.

On September 22, European Union countries extended sanctions against nearly 3,000 Russian citizens and organizations for another three years, but removed Alisher Usmanov and Mikhail Friedman from the list. Previously, sanctions against them were in place due to restrictions imposed after the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

Reuters notes that France, along with Slovakia, advocated for lifting the sanctions against Usmanov, citing, in particular, national security concerns. Luxembourg expressed a similar position regarding Friedman. Ultimately, EU countries agreed on a compromise: sanctions against the remaining individuals were extended immediately for 36 months.

Estonia did not support the removal of Usmanov and Friedman from the list. Margus Tsahkna stated that Tallinn would impose national sanctions against them, despite the EU’s decision.

According to Reuters, France came under pressure from Azerbaijan, where two French citizens were being held.

Three European diplomats told the agency that Paris had indicated in private conversations that Baku might use the case of Alisher Usmanov as leverage due to the detention of the French citizens. At the same time, the Azerbaijani side categorically rejected the accusations of pressure and stated that it considers the sanctions against Usmanov to be unfair.

Alisher Usmanov has significant assets and interests in Western Europe, including real estate on the French Riviera. The European Union imposed sanctions against him in 2022.

The lifting of restrictions on Usmanov and Friedman has drawn criticism from a number of EU countries. In particular, Ukraine opposed removing the businessmen from the sanctions list, while Latvia ultimately abstained during the vote, allowing a compromise decision to be adopted.

On September 23, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev pardoned French citizen Martin Ryan, who was serving a 10-year prison sentence in Baku following a conviction on espionage charges.

Reuters notes that the pardon came a day after Alisher Usmanov and Mikhail Fridman were removed from the EU sanctions list. At the same time, the agency points out that a direct link between these events has not been officially confirmed.

Alisher Usmanov and Mikhail Friedman had previously challenged the sanctions in European courts. Friedman, in particular, is seeking $16 billion from Luxembourg as part of an arbitration dispute.

This was reported by Reuters.

As a reminder, Aliyev pardoned the Frenchman after sanctions against Usmanov were lifted.

Earlier, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sibiga criticized the EU’s decision to remove Russian businessmen Alisher Usmanov and Mikhail Fridman from the sanctions list.

Prior to this, the EU had agreed to extend sanctions against Russia and to remove Usmanov and Friedman from the list.

Latvia attempted to block the lifting of sanctions against Russian oligarchs Alisher Usmanov and Mikhail Friedman; however, according to Prime Minister Andris Kulbergs, the European Union presented the country with a “tough choice.”