Agreement reached before midnight deadline

European Union member states approved a three-year extension of sanctions on approximately 3,000 individuals and entities linked to Russia's invasion of Ukraine on 22 September 2026. The diplomatic agreement was finalized hours before the existing measures were scheduled to expire at midnight. Under the rollover confirmed by the Irish presidency of the Council of the EU, the sanctions regime will remain in effect until 22 September 2029. The extension replaces the earlier system of renewing individual designations every six months, which EU diplomats noted created recurring political friction. The compromise concluded days of tense talks after member states postponed the initial 15 September expiration deadline by one week to negotiate terms.

Demands from Paris and Luxembourg

The negotiations were delayed by requests from France, Luxembourg, and Slovakia to remove two Russian tycoons from the sanctions register. France requested the delisting of Russian-Uzbek metals magnate Alisher Usmanov, citing national security priorities. Usmanov was first sanctioned in 2022 over links to Russian President Vladimir Putin and the supply of metals allegedly used in Russian tank manufacturing. French diplomats sought his removal to facilitate negotiations with Azerbaijan for the release of two French citizens imprisoned there, given Usmanov's ties to Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev. Luxembourg joined France by demanding the removal of Russian banker Mikhail Fridman, the former owner of the Spanish supermarket chain Dia. Fridman had initiated an international arbitration claim in Hong Kong seeking between 14.5 billion dollars and 16 billion dollars from Luxembourg over frozen assets, prompting Luxembourg officials to argue that defending the case would be legally untenable if Usmanov were exempted.

Baltic objections and diplomatic compromise

The delisting faced sustained resistance from Baltic governments, with Latvia refusing to endorse the exemption during negotiations on Monday evening. Latvian Prime Minister Kulbergs argued that sanctions pressure on Moscow should not decrease while hostilities continue.

“As long as Russia continues the war, European pressure on the Kremlin must become greater instead of smaller.”

Latvia's stance stalled the written approval procedure on Monday night, threatening to let the entire sanctions package lapse by midnight on Tuesday. Envoys resumed negotiations on Tuesday morning to resolve the deadlock. To prevent the broader sanctions framework from expiring, Latvia agreed to abstain from the vote alongside Belgium, allowing the required consensus among the remaining member states. Latvia also announced that it will introduce direct national sanctions against Usmanov and Fridman.

Ukrainian reaction and new sanctions term

The decision to delist the two businessmen drew immediate criticism from Kyiv. Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha called the move 'shameful and unjustifiable', while Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky had previously urged European leaders to maintain the measures until Moscow halts the war and commits to genuine peace negotiations. The adoption of a 36-month renewal cycle was designed to prevent individual member states from blocking renewals every six months for domestic policy goals. The individual sanctions package remains separate from the European Union's broad economic and sectoral sanctions on Russian energy, trade, and finance.