France is pressing European Union member states to lift sanctions on Uzbek-Russian oligarch Alisher Usmanov as part of a proposed prisoner exchange with Azerbaijan, sources familiar with the matter said. The arrangement would involve the release of several French nationals currently held in Azerbaijan and has become a significant sticking point in the EU’s efforts to renew its sanctions package targeting roughly 2,600 individuals and entities linked to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
The current sanctions regime, initially enacted in response to Russian President Vladimir Putin’s military actions in Ukraine, was set to be renewed for 12 months. However, the EU has agreed only to a one-week extension to allow further negotiations after France and Slovakia vetoed the full renewal unless Usmanov was removed from the sanctions list, according to officials. Without agreement by the deadline, all other Russian nationals and companies on the sanctions list could be delisted, complicating EU unity on the matter.
The French demand has surprised other EU diplomats, with one describing it as “astonishing.” It highlights challenges within EU foreign policy where consensus among member states can be blocked by individual national vetoes. Historically, resistance to sanctions has come from governments perceived as more sympathetic to Russia, such as those led by Viktor Orbán in Hungary and Robert Fico in Slovakia. France’s intervention introduces a new dynamic to these internal disagreements.
French officials have not publicly commented on the specifics of the prisoner swap involving Usmanov. Azerbaijan and Uzbekistan’s foreign ministries also declined to respond to inquiries. A French diplomat acknowledged a “specific national security concern” prompting France’s position, emphasizing Paris’s continued commitment to applying pressure on Russia’s military efforts through all available means.
Slovakia reportedly supports lifting sanctions on Usmanov, while a majority of EU countries remain opposed. Some officials expressed frustration over France’s reluctance to disclose details justifying its push to delist the oligarch. One European diplomat criticized the move as effectively rewarding both Russia and its practice of detaining European citizens.
Past prisoner exchanges in the context of the Ukraine conflict have occasionally involved Western countries lifting sanctions on certain Russian individuals, often after legal rulings or when individuals demonstrated a break from Kremlin influence. However, this proposed swap centering on Usmanov would mark the first explicit case linking prisoner releases to sanctions relief related to the war.
The EU’s justification for sanctioning Usmanov rests on his close ties to Putin and alleged role in managing financial flows dependent on the Russian president’s favor. Usmanov has denied these allegations and challenged the sanctions through multiple legal actions in Europe.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has called on EU countries to maintain sanctions against Usmanov and other oligarchs, asserting that their enterprises support Russia’s war effort. He urged these figures to demonstrate “the courage to take concrete steps against the war,” underscoring Kyiv’s firm stance against easing economic pressure on Kremlin-linked individuals.