Slovakia, with the support of Hungary, is lobbying for the exclusion of Alisher Usmanov from the European Union's sanctions list, which will be updated in mid-March, according to Azattyk Asia. Currently, EU restrictions include visa bans and asset freezes on more than 2,700 individuals and legal entities that Brussels believes have contributed to undermining Ukraine's territorial integrity.
The sanctions list has been expanded every six months — in March and November, with the consent of all 27 EU member states.
In anticipation of a new round of sanctions, Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico sent a letter to other EU countries, signed by Erdoğan and dated March 2.
According to information from Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, in the letter, the Turkish president emphasizes that Ankara does not intend to circumvent the sanctions imposed against Russia since the beginning of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. However, Erdoğan states that “citizens of third countries affected by these sanctions may face certain difficulties in interacting with our country.” He cites the example of EU sanctions against Alisher Usmanov and his family.
Erdoğan claims that “Mr. Alisher Usmanov has conducted his business transparently since the 1990s and has not utilized the economic measures promoted by the Russian government since the 2000s, nor has he financed any initiatives in this area.”
“Having left active business about ten years ago and focusing on charity, he has supported cultural, humanitarian, and sports projects that contribute to strengthening ties between Central Asia and the West, as well as made a significant contribution to the development of humanitarian relations within the Turkic world,” Erdoğan adds.
LINKS TO PUTIN
The Turkish president also refers to a letter he sent five years ago together with the heads of the Turkic States Organization (including Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Uzbekistan) to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and then-President of the European Council Charles Michel.
Erdoğan concludes his address to Fico with the words: “Given Mr. Alisher Usmanov's sincere efforts for full cooperation with EU institutions, I believe that your support in excluding him from the EU sanctions list and restoring his rights would be very significant.”
When sanctions against Usmanov were imposed in 2022, the EU indicated that the oligarch maintains “particularly close ties with Russian President Vladimir Putin” and is considered one of the few who controls financial flows.
Additionally, the document notes that Usmanov is linked to Dmitry Medvedev, Deputy Chairman of the Security Council and former president, who benefited from the use of luxury properties controlled by Usmanov.
Another reason for including Usmanov on the sanctions list was his ownership of the Russian newspaper Kommersant. Brussels emphasizes that after the oligarch took control of this publication, “editorial freedom was restricted, and the newspaper took a clearly pro-Kremlin position.”
According to the American publication Forbes, published on March 10, Usmanov ranks 199th among the richest people in the world with a fortune of $14.5 billion.
LEGAL MECHANISMS
Usmanov has appealed to the EU court to have his name removed from the sanctions list; however, in September of last year, the court ruled that there were no legal grounds for this.
Analysts believe that the question now is who will prevail: Hungary and Slovakia or the other 25 EU member states.
EU ambassadors will gather in Brussels on March 13 to reach a consensus before the sanctions expire on March 15.
Some representatives of European countries have stated in comments to RFE/RL that they do not intend to exclude any oligarchs from the list. One diplomat added that Erdoğan's letter was received negatively: “Should countries that do not even impose sanctions against Russia and help circumvent them tell us whom we should exclude?”
The EU presidency held by Cyprus, supported by 25 other countries in the bloc, insists that there should be no political exceptions, as in the case of Usmanov and Friedman, and that the sanctions should be extended for 12 months. Later, it was proposed to extend the sanctions for six months.
Slovakia rejected both proposals and received support from Hungary, which claims that the exclusion of Usmanov and Friedman from the list is “critically important.”
Given the tight deadlines, Cyprus may repeat Poland's move in March 2025, when, during Warsaw's presidency, oligarch Vyacheslav Moshe Kantor, Russian Sports Minister Mikhail Degtyarev, and Usmanov's sister Gulbakhor Ismailova were excluded from the sanctions list. Hungary then threatened to veto the extension of sanctions if exceptions were not made.
The current situation is exacerbated by Hungary and Slovakia's dissatisfaction with the lack of Russian oil supplies through the Druzhba pipeline. Both countries claim that Ukraine refuses to restore the Soviet-era pipeline that runs through its territory and supplies oil to the EU.
As a result, Bratislava and Budapest blocked the EU's €90 billion ($105 billion) loan package for Ukraine and the 20th sanctions package against Russia proposed by the European Commission.
Although EU officials familiar with the negotiations assert that the issue of oil was not discussed during the sanctions extension talks, they note that Hungary has made it clear that it will not support “any measures in the interests of Ukraine until the issue with Druzhba is resolved.”
Hungary has also separately approached the EU with a request to lift other energy sanctions against Russia, citing rising global energy prices due to the conflict with Iran. However, the sectoral sanctions will only expire in July.
The article "Turkey and Central Asia Lobby for Lifting Sanctions on Usmanov" first appeared on the K-News website.
