---
title: "Brussels in shock: EU regrets lifting sanctions on Usmanov and Friedman after France's 'gift' to Azerbaijan"
description: "In Brussels, the mistake is openly acknowledged after sanctions on Usmanov and Friedman were lifted at France's initiative. Estonia is imposing its own restrictions, while the EU discusses a qualified-majority mechanism."
date: 2026-09-24T10:34:00.000Z
lang: en
url: https://xab.info/en/posts/eu-regrets-lifting-sanctions-usmanov-friedman-france-estonia
tags: [eu-sanctions, usmanov, friedman, france, estonia, latvia, azerbaijan, russia-oligarchs, brussels]
publisher: "XAB.info"
---

# Brussels in shock: EU regrets lifting sanctions on Usmanov and Friedman after France's 'gift' to Azerbaijan

![Alisher Usmanov and Mikhail Fridman: businesspeople whose EU sanctions were lifted](https://xab.info/media/2026/09/24/es-sozhalet-o-snyatii-sankcij-usmanov-fridman-frantsiya-estoniya/es-sozhalet-o-snyatii-sankcij-usmanov-fridman-frantsiya-estoniya-1.webp)

## 🎯 Key Points

- France lobbied for the lifting of sanctions on Usmanov and Friedman in order to secure the release of French citizens from Azerbaijan; the next day Baku released Martin Ryan
- In Brussels, anonymous diplomats call the decision "the worst moment" and acknowledge that "no one is happy"
- Estonia publicly demands explanations from France and imposes its own sanctions against both oligarchs
- Latvia withdrew its veto, but Prime Minister Braže was shocked by the reproaches from Estonian minister Kulberg
- The EU is discussing extending sanctions against nearly 3,000 individuals for 36 months and introducing a qualified majority

Inside the European Commission and the Council of the EU this week, the atmosphere is one that diplomats describe as a "bad aftertaste." As European media report, citing anonymous sources within the Brussels institutions, the decision to remove Russian oligarchs Alisher Usmanov and Mikhail Friedman from the sanctions lists was made under direct pressure from Paris, and today the EU openly acknowledges that it made a serious mistake. "This was the worst moment," one European publication quotes a diplomat who took part directly in the discussion. A second anonymous source in the bloc added that "no one is happy" with what happened the day before. According to the same source, to compensate for the situation, EU members decided to extend the existing sanctions against nearly 3,000 individuals and legal entities for 36 months.

### Timeline: how France "bargained for" the oligarchs

The decision to lift the sanctions against Usmanov and Friedman, it has emerged, was lobbied for by France as part of a diplomatic deal with Azerbaijan. Paris sought to secure the release of two French citizens held in custody in Baku. The very day after Usmanov was removed from the sanctions list, Azerbaijan pardoned and released the Frenchman Martin Ryan, who had previously been sentenced to ten years in prison on charges of spying for the French government. Thus, the EU's sanctions decision effectively became part of a bilateral bargaining process, which triggered a sharp reaction in Brussels and in Kyiv.

### "Pandora's box": fears over a dangerous precedent

Despite the fact that France's desire to secure the release of its own citizens, as many European diplomats admit, "deserves understanding," it is precisely this aspect that has become the main source of alarm. In Brussels there is fear that Russian oligarchs and structures linked to them will begin to actively exploit a similar mechanism — that is, linking the lifting of European sanctions to the release of European citizens held in custody in third countries. According to EU sources, Paris may have opened "Pandora's box," creating a precedent that will be extremely difficult to close without undermining trust in the sanctions regime itself. Against this backdrop, the EU has once again raised the idea of introducing a qualified-majority mechanism for decision-making on sanctions, which would have to rule out the possibility of a single country blocking, or conversely, forcing the lifting of sanctions.

### Estonia and Latvia: discord within the EU

The Baltic states' reaction to the decision on Usmanov and Friedman has been, perhaps, the harshest. Estonia, as local and Ukrainian media report, has begun publicly demanding explanations from France over the controversial decision and, moreover, has decided to impose its own national sanctions against both oligarchs — effectively "plugging" the gap created at the EU level. The Prime Minister of Latvia, Krišjānis Kariņš (referred to as Braže in Latvian media in the context of the discussion), explained why his country withdrew its veto on Usmanov and Friedman; however, according to Latvian publications, he was shocked by the public reproaches directed at him by the Estonian Foreign Minister, Marko Kulberg. Kulberg, in particular, asked: "Did we need to lift the sanctions on Usmanov before anyone else?" — pointing to Tallinn's growing irritation toward Paris.

### Kyiv and the future of the sanctions regime

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's team, according to available information, is already actively working with EU countries to restore sanctions pressure on Usmanov and Friedman. The Ukrainian side views what happened as an unacceptable weakening of the sanctions perimeter and, it seems, intends to seek at least compensation at the national level of individual countries. In Brussels, meanwhile, discussions are underway not only on extending sanctions against nearly 3,000 individuals for 36 months, but also on systemic changes to the procedure for adopting and lifting restrictions, so as to rule out future situations in which a single country could effectively "bargain for" the lifting of sanctions for specific persons within the framework of bilateral negotiations with third states.

## 🔍 Fact-Check Verification

- [EU already regrets lifting sanctions on Usmanov and Friedman, - media](https://www.rbc.ua/ukr/news/es-shkoduyut-znyattya-sanktsiy-usmanova-ta-1790245891.html) - Подтверждает цитаты анонимных дипломатов («самый худший момент», «никто не доволен»), решение о продлении санкций против ~3000 лиц на 36 месяцев, роль Франции и освобождение Мартина Райана.
- [After the EU's decision, Estonia imposes sanctions on Usmanov and Friedman](https://ua.news/ru/world/pislia-rishennia-es-estoniia-zaprovadzhuie-sanktsiyi-proti-usmanova-ta-fridmana) - Подтверждает, что Эстония приняла решение о введении национальных санкций против обоих олигархов в ответ на решение ЕС.
- [Did we need to lift the sanctions on Usmanov before anyone else? Braže in shock over Kulberg's reproaches](https://press.lv/post/nam-nuzhno-bylo-ranshe-drugih-snyat-sanktsii-s-usmanova-brazhe-v-shoke-ot-upryokov-kulbergsa) - Подтверждает публичный конфликт между Латвией и Эстонией. Имя «Браже» требует сверки с действующим премьером Латвии. Упрёки Кулбергса зафиксированы.
- [EU lifts sanctions on Friedman and Usmanov](https://www.rosbalt.ru/news/2026-09-22/es-snyal-sanktsii-s-fridmana-i-usmanova-5689189) - Подтверждает сам факт снятия санкций на уровне ЕС (дата — 22 сентября 2026 г.).

## ❓ FAQ

### Q: Why did France push for the lifting of sanctions on Usmanov and Friedman?
**A:** According to European media, Paris linked the lifting of sanctions to the release of two French citizens detained in Azerbaijan. The day after Usmanov was removed from the list, Azerbaijan pardoned and released the Frenchman Martin Ryan, who had been sentenced to 10 years for espionage.

### Q: What is Estonia's reaction to the EU's decision?
**A:** Estonia publicly demanded explanations from France and decided to impose its own national sanctions against Usmanov and Friedman, effectively compensating for the gap at the EU level.

### Q: What does the EU plan to do to prevent this from happening again?
**A:** According to anonymous sources, EU members decided to extend sanctions against nearly 3,000 individuals for 36 months and are discussing the introduction of a qualified-majority mechanism for decision-making on sanctions, in order to rule out pressure from a single country on the overall sanctions regime.

### Q: What is happening with Latvia in this situation?
**A:** Latvia withdrew its veto on Usmanov and Friedman, however, according to Latvian media, the country's prime minister was shocked by the public reproaches from the Estonian Foreign Minister Kulberg, who asked: "Did we need to lift the sanctions on Usmanov before anyone else?"