Ukraine anger as EU removes Russian oligarchs from sanctions list
Alisher Usmanov and Mikhail Fridman both have close ties to President Putin, and Kyiv said the move sent Moscow the wrong signals.
The European Union is to remove sanctions on two oligarchs imposed after Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, according to reports, prompting anger in Ukraine.
France had campaigned for Russian-Uzbek billionaire Alisher Usmanov to be taken off the list, citing "national security concerns". Luxembourg called for the removal of Russian-Israeli businessman Mikhail Fridman, who is suing the country for the release of frozen assets.
Latvia initially opposed the deal but agreed to a compromise, part of which involved extending sanctions on nearly 3,000 other individuals and entities for three years.
The EU froze his assets in 2022, describing him as "a pro-Kremlin oligarch with particularly close ties to Russian president Vladimir Putin". Usmanov said the decision was "unfair".