EU sanctions on nearly 3,000 Russian individuals and entities set to lapse without ambassador agreement

EU ambassadors failed for the third time in 24 hours to agree on extending Russia sanctions, leaving restrictions on nearly 3,000 people and companies — including Vladimir Putin, Sergei Lavrov, Russia's major banks, and its military industry — hours from expiring.

The deadlock centers on a demand by France and Slovakia to remove two Russian billionaires, Alisher Usmanov and Mikhail Fridman, from the list in exchange for a 36-month extension of the broader sanctions. France has told EU diplomats the delisting is on national security grounds; the Financial Times has linked it to a prisoner exchange with Azerbaijan. Luxembourg has argued Fridman should also be removed, citing a $16 billion damages claim over his frozen assets.

Ukraine's foreign minister, Andrii Sybiha, called the delisting "unacceptable" and said it would send the wrong signal to Moscow. The Kremlin said it considers all Western sanctions illegal and wants them fully revoked.

One diplomat said a short-term extension was the likely outcome. The EU has already prolonged the deadline once.