The EU Has Issued An Ultimatum To France Over A Russian Billionaire

• 16.09.2026, 8:40

Paris has a week.

France has one week to assure other EU countries that its efforts to remove billionaire Alisher Usmanov from the sanctions list will not lead to chaos that would undermine the restrictions against Moscow. This is reported by Politico.

It is noted that during a closed-door meeting, EU ambassadors were unable to reach an agreement on removing Usmanov from the blacklist. Diplomats and officials who participated in the discussions said that Paris—which caught its colleagues off guard by supporting Usmanov’s removal—must now explain why this move will not set a dangerous precedent. The ambassadors will meet again on September 22.

“If France goes down this path, other countries will follow with their own oligarchs who should be removed from the list… [then] the house of cards will begin to collapse,” said a high-ranking EU official.

Meanwhile, foreign ministries are discussing the issue with Paris, according to two EU diplomats who expressed skepticism about the move at a time when Moscow is stepping up attacks on Ukraine’s civilian infrastructure and threatening neighboring countries. One of them said:
“Negotiations are underway to find a solution. Russia has given us no grounds for removing anyone from the sanctions list.”

Initially, Paris presented its support for Usmanov—who has been subject to sanctions by the EU, the U.S., the U.K., and Kyiv since the start of the war—as a concession to Slovakia, which had long advocated for his removal from the list.

However, French officials and diplomats subsequently received instructions from the Élysée Palace acknowledging that Paris faces “a specific national security concern and wishes to respond positively to the requests of international partners who have approached us regarding Usmanov.”