The decision on personal sanctions in the European Union is made unanimously, so extending them requires the consent of all 27 EU countries. These restrictions are currently extended regularly in this way, and each country can block the decision or demand exclusions from the list.
Latvian Prime Minister Andris Kulbergs announced Riga's position. He said that extending sanctions for 36 months would in itself be the right step, but Latvia does not agree to tie it to lifting restrictions on Usmanov and Fridman.
Kulbergs added that amid the ongoing war, pressure on Russia, in his view, should intensify. He also stated that Riga will continue negotiations with Brussels and Paris and will seek support among other EU members.
According to Euronews, most countries were ready to support the compromise, and talks continued on the morning of September 22. If an agreement cannot be reached before the restrictions expire, the entire sanctions regime, which applies to more than 2,600 individuals and legal entities, will be at risk.
One reason for the dispute was France's position, which is pushing for sanctions to be lifted on Usmanov. Euronews, citing sources, wrote that Paris and Uzbekistan discussed an arrangement under which the businessman’s removal from the EU list could be linked to the release of two French citizens in Azerbaijan, but French authorities did not publicly confirm this.
Slovakia also supported removing Usmanov and Fridman from the list. Because of disagreements, on September 14 the EU countries were able to extend the current restrictions for only seven days, and Kulbergs convened an emergency meeting of the Latvian government to discuss the situation.
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