The European Union (EU) has extended its sanctions against Russia, including those on Russian businessman Mikhail Fridman, despite pressure from Hungary. The sanctions were renewed for another six months after Hungary withdrew its veto. The EU’s General Court had previously rejected Fridman’s challenge to the sanctions, and he remains sanctioned by the UK.
The list of individuals removed from the sanctions includes:
1. Musa Bazhaev, a Russian businessman sanctioned by the EU and UK.
2. Mikhail Degtyaryov, Russia’s sport minister, who was involved in the inauguration of the de facto embassy of the unrecognized Donetsk People’s Republic in Moscow.
3. Viatcheslav Moshe Kantor, an Israeli–British-Russian businessman with close ties to Vladimir Putin.
4. Gulbakhor Ismailova, the sister of Russian oligarch Alisher Usmanov.
These individuals will be delisted as part of a deal reached between Brussels and Budapest. However, they remain sanctioned by other countries, including the US and UK.
The EU’s economic sanctions against Russia, which include the freezing of nearly $200 billion in Russian central bank assets, also need to be renewed in July. The US has signaled an openness to easing sanctions against Russia, but EU member states worry that Hungary could block the renewal of economic sanctions, potentially stripping Budapest of its voting rights and ability to veto within the EU.
The move suggests that EU member states have finally lost patience with Hungary’s pro-Kremlin stance.