“THEY DON’T KNOW US. THEY DON’T KNOW ME.”—ZELENSKYY VOWS TO RETURN RUSSIAN OLIGARCHS TO THE SANCTIONS AGENDA
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy delivered a direct warning after the European Union removed Russian billionaires Alisher Usmanov and Mikhail Fridman from its sanctions list.
“Perhaps these two oligarchs are happy now. But they don’t know us. They don’t know me. Yet I will return to the Europeans with these same names.”
Those final words were precise—and unmistakable. The EU may have removed the two men today, but Ukraine does not consider the matter settled.
Their removal formed part of a difficult compromise that preserved sanctions against approximately 3,000 other Russia-linked individuals and entities for three years. France pushed for Usmanov’s removal, while Luxembourg supported delisting Fridman, who has pursued a multibillion-dollar arbitration claim against the country.
Latvia resisted the compromise until the final stage before abstaining, allowing the agreement to proceed.
“This shows that the path to maintaining unanimity is very difficult,” Zelenskyy said, confirming that he had raised the matter directly with European partners.
The broader sanctions system survived, but the compromise exposed how individual national interests can weaken collective pressure against Russia. Zelenskyy’s response makes one point clear: Usmanov and Fridman may have escaped the EU list today, but Ukraine will ensure Europe hears their names again.