France seeks EU removal of Usmanov sanctions in exchange for Azerbaijan prisoner swap

France has been advocating within European Union channels for the removal of EU sanctions against Russian-Uzbek oligarch Alisher Usmanov, according to diplomatic sources. The push is reportedly linked to negotiations over a prisoner exchange involving individuals detained in Azerbaijan. Usmanov, one of Russia's wealthiest businessmen with ties to the Kremlin, was placed under EU sanctions following Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. He has contested the sanctions through European courts. French officials have reportedly argued that removing Usmanov's sanctions could facilitate the release of European or Ukraine-aligned individuals held in Azerbaijan, as part of broader diplomatic negotiations. The move has drawn criticism from Ukraine and from other EU member states, who argue that relaxing sanctions on sanctioned Russian oligarchs could undermine the EU's broader sanctions regime and send a wrong signal amid the ongoing conflict. The European Commission and other EU member states have not confirmed the French position.