EU fails to renew Russia sanctions one day before deadline amid dispute over oligarchs
European Union countries failed on Monday to agree on extending sanctions against Russia, leaving the bloc one day to resolve a dispute over Russian oligarchs before the measures expire.
EU ambassadors are expected to reconvene later on Monday for further talks, POLITICO reported, citing five EU diplomats.
The sanctions regime, which covers asset freezes on about 3,000 individuals and companies, expires on Tuesday, Sept. 15. Its renewal requires unanimous support from EU member states.
The dispute centers partly on Slovakia's demand that Russian-Uzbek billionaire Alisher Usmanov and Russian businessman Mikhail Fridman be removed from the sanctions list.
France has proposed a compromise under which only Usmanov would be delisted.
Most other EU capitals are unwilling to remove anyone from the list as Russia intensifies attacks against Ukraine and hybrid threats in Europe increase, according to POLITICO.
“Against the backdrop of rising hybrid threats and Russian drone attacks only 1 kilometer from the Polish border, it's hard to believe that France is actually asking for this,” one EU diplomat told the outlet.
A French diplomat said Paris had “a specific national security issue” and wanted to “respond positively to international partners who have approached us regarding Mr. Usmanov.”
EU countries are also divided over how long the sanctions should be extended. The bloc has traditionally renewed them every six months, but some countries want to extend the period to 12 months. Slovakia is unwilling to support the longer renewal, according to POLITICO.
If ambassadors fail to reach a unanimous agreement before Tuesday's deadline, the sanctions regime covering the roughly 3,000 individuals and companies will expire.