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EU Observer (22 September 2026)

Andrew Rettman

France has done lasting harm to EU sanctions on Russia after ramming through the delisting of an oligarch for the sake of its own interests.

The EU agreed to delist Russian metals tycoon Alisher Usmanov at around 4.30PM on Tuesday (22 September) – just seven and a half hours before France’s veto would have seen the whole blacklist of some 3,000 individuals and entities legally expire at midnight if there was no deal.

The accord also includes delisting Russian banker Mikhail Fridman to please Luxembourg and locking in the new list (without Usmanov or Fridman) for the next three years to satisfy the rest of the member states.

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