UK PM Promises Zelensky: Sanctions on Usmanov and Fridman Will Stay

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has said that British Prime Minister Andy Burnham personally reassured him that the United Kingdom has no plans to lift sanctions against Russian oligarchs Alisher Usmanov and Mikhail Fridman, despite the European Union's recent decision to remove both men from its own sanctions lists.

The exchange came amid growing concern in Kyiv and among Ukraine's allies about a potential erosion of the international sanctions regime against Russian elites linked to the Kremlin.

EU Move Sparks Alarm

The European Union's decision to delist Usmanov and Fridman from its sanctions regime had raised alarm bells in Ukraine and among some European governments. Critics argued the move sent the wrong signal at a critical moment in the conflict with Russia, potentially opening the door for other countries to follow suit and weaken the broader pressure campaign against Russian business and political elites.

Usmanov and Fridman are among Russia's wealthiest businessmen, and their delisting was seen as a significant blow to the effort to isolate Russia economically.

UK Holds the Line

Zelensky welcomed the British commitment to maintain its own sanctions, describing the UK's position as an important signal of continued solidarity with Ukraine. The Ukrainian president said Burnham's assurances gave him confidence that London would not follow Brussels in lifting the measures.

The UK has maintained its own sanctions regime largely in line with its Western allies since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, though the departure from the EU following Brexit has meant that British and European sanctions lists do not always track perfectly.

The episode highlights the growing divergence between EU and UK approaches to the Russia sanctions question, and the importance Kyiv places on maintaining unified pressure on Russian elites through sustained financial penalties.