Overview
- Negotiators failed to confirm an agreement late Monday to delist Alicher Usmanov and Mikhail Fridman, with talks resuming on Tuesday after a single member state reportedly blocked the deal.
- France asked for Usmanov's removal citing national security reasons and media reports link Paris's push to a possible prisoner‑release negotiation in Azerbaijan.
- Luxembourg pressed to delist Fridman conditioned on Usmanov being removed, creating a linked proposal that some other member states oppose.
- Ukraine's leaders publicly denounced the possible removals as unacceptable and warned that they would send a bad signal to Moscow while the EU seeks to pressure Russia.
- The bloc's sanctions cover nearly 3,000 people and entities with asset freezes and travel bans and must be renewed by Wednesday 00:00 under unanimity rules so EU officials are discussing longer renewal windows and a new sanctions package to avoid future last‑minute risks.