Russia demands Europe lifts sanctions against all Russians

People walk through a Victory Park in front of the buildings of the Moscow International Business Centre (Moskva City) and an Orthodox church in Moscow on September 21, 2026. — AFP pic

First Published: Tuesday, 22 Sep 2026 6:37 PM MYT

MOSCOW, Sept 22 — Russia said today that the European Union should remove all Russians from its sanctions list, as EU nations discuss ending measures against oligarchs Alisher Usmanov and Mikhail Fridman.

“We believe these sanctions must be lifted both for Usmanov and Fridman, and for all Russian businessmen, as well as for all Russian citizens,” Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said at his daily briefing to journalists.

He repeated the Kremlin’s position that the asset freezes and travel bans the EU had imposed were illegal.

The 27-nation bloc had looked set to remove asset freezes and visa bans from Usmanov and Fridman after demands from France, Luxembourg and Slovakia.

But Latvia has objected and the whole process of renewing sanctions on Russians is now in doubt, with a deadline looming. — AFP