EU Russia sanctions face midnight expiry as Latvia blocks oligarch delisting deal

September 22, 2026 at 01:15 AM2 min

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EU sanctions on nearly 3,000 Russian-linked individuals and entities could lapse at midnight after Latvia rejected a compromise to delist two oligarchs. Latvian Prime Minister Andris Kulbergs is seeking a two-week emergency delay, but France has refused. Ambassadors resume talks Tuesday afternoon in a final attempt to break the deadlock.

Key Facts

EU sanctions against almost 3,000 individuals and entities linked to Vladimir Putin's Russia could lapse at the end of Tuesday.
Latvian Prime Minister Andris Kulbergs is holding an emergency cabinet meeting and pushing for a two-week emergency delay, but France has refused.
France demanded the EU lift travel bans and asset freezes on Alisher Usmanov on urgent national security grounds, reportedly linked to a prisoner exchange involving a French national convicted of spying in Azerbaijan.
Slovakia and Luxembourg then sought the removal of sanctions against Mikhail Fridman, a Russian-Israeli billionaire under EU sanctions since 2022.
A compromise deal would extend the sanctions renewal period from six months to three years in exchange for the delistings, but Latvia rejected it.

The Deadlock

EU ambassadors will resume talks on Tuesday afternoon in a final attempt to break the deadlock before the measures expire at midnight. Failure to reach unanimity would severely undermine the bloc's sanctions regime against Russia. The listings expiry was postponed by one week last week to give EU ambassadors more time to negotiate. Andris Kulbergs said on X that extending sanctions requires the consent of all 27 EU member states.

The Delisting Demands

France's request to delist Alisher Usmanov prompted Slovakia and Luxembourg to seek the removal of sanctions against Mikhail Fridman. Both men have been under EU sanctions since 2022. In return for the delistings, a compromise deal envisages extending the sanctions regime's renewal period from six months to three years. Riga nevertheless rejected the proposed compromise.

Reactions

Ukraine's Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha criticised any agreement that would lift sanctions against the two oligarchs, calling them part of Russia's aggressive regime. Multiple diplomats blamed Paris for creating the crisis by using the bloc's sanctions regime to pursue a national foreign policy objective. One EU diplomat said the situation gives the impression that you can blackmail your way off the listings. A second diplomat added that this sets a dangerous precedent allowing narrow national interest to override common sanctions against Russia.