EU postpones extension of Russian sanctions

 

TT 

Published 22.07

  

The man in focus: oligarch and former Arsenal owner Alisher Usmanov. File photo. Photo: Maxim Shemetov/AP/TT

EU sanctions targeting nearly 3,000 Russians and Russian entities expire on Wednesday. However, the union has pushed back the deadline by a week to discuss one name on the list.

The sanctions operate on a six-month cycle and must therefore be renewed every six months. Wednesday marks the next renewal date, but the decision has been postponed after France demanded that oligarch and former Arsenal owner Alisher Usmanov be removed from the list.

Usmanov has been considered close to Russian President Vladimir Putin, but according to the Financial Times, France wants him removed from the list to facilitate the release of French citizens imprisoned in Azerbaijan.

According to AFP, EU diplomats are reluctant to create the impression that the union is easing its sanctions. Several countries also reportedly wish to extend the sanctions periods to one year.