Sanctions for Sale: How Brussels Traded Principles for Pragmatism

Brussels has once again demonstrated how its diplomatic machine operates when lofty principles clash with national self-interest. Behind the closed doors of European diplomacy, a bargain was struck to remove Russian billionaires Alisher Usmanov and Mikhail Fridman from the bloc’s sanction roster. The episode exposes a foreign policy driven less by geopolitical strategy than by administrative convenience and transactional horse-trading.

The motives driving member states to undo their own sanctions reveal a patchwork of narrow priorities. France campaigned for the removal of Usmanov, citing national security concerns reportedly connected to a prospective prisoner release arrangement with Azerbaijan. Luxembourg, meanwhile, sought to extract itself from litigation launched by Fridman over frozen assets. When individual state interests collide with collective posturing, the bureaucratic apparatus simply finds a way to alter the rules.

The resistance to this deal proved equally transactional. Latvia initially exercised its veto during ambassadorial negotiations, driven by its hardline stance against Russian business figures. Yet, this opposition dissolved rapidly once a compromise was crafted. Riga agreed to abstain after securing an extension of sanctions against roughly 2,600 other individuals and entities from six-month review cycles to three-year periods. In exchange, French officials offered Latvia talks on joining a nuclear deterrence initiative and an increased military presence on Latvian soil.

The reaction from Kyiv was immediate and sharp. Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiha publicly criticized the move, stating that Moscow is celebrating because it got what it wanted: a sense of impunity, the humiliation of the EU, and division among Europeans. Sybiha called on member states to implement national sanctions instead, a step Latvian authorities have indicated they intend to take independently.

From Moscow, the decision was met with approval. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov stated that the EU sanctions were unlawful from the outset and urged the complete removal of measures against all Russian nationals.

Usmanov, whose empire includes the investment firm USM Holding alongside copper and telecommunications interests, had seen his assets frozen in 2022 over reported ties to the Russian presidency. Fridman, founder of the Alfa Group, similarly faced asset freezes as a top Russian financier, despite publicly calling for an early end to the military conflict. Ultimately, the lifting of these restrictions shows how easily moral consensus yields to member states pursuing their own balance sheets and security guarantees.

Written by Andreas Hofer andreas.hofer@alpineweekly.com