President of Turkey Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, along with Azerbaijan and three Central Asian countries, is appealing through Slovakia to exclude businessman Alisher Usmanov from the European Union's sanctions list. The updated list is expected to be presented in mid-March, as reported by Azattyk Asia.
In recent weeks, Slovakia, with the support of Hungary, has actively lobbied for the exclusion of Usmanov and Russian oligarch Mikhail Friedman from European sanctions. Currently, the EU's existing restrictions apply to more than 2,700 individuals and legal entities that, according to Brussels authorities, have contributed to the violation of Ukraine's territorial integrity.
The sanctions list is expanded every six months, in March and November, with the consent of all 27 EU member states.
In anticipation of a new round of sanctions, Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico sent a letter to other EU states, signed by Erdoğan and dated March 2.
As reported by the media corporation Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, in the letter, Erdoğan emphasizes that Turkey does not intend to circumvent EU and US sanctions imposed against Russia following the onset of military aggression against Ukraine in February 2022. At the same time, he points out that “citizens of third countries affected by these sanctions may face certain difficulties in relations with our country,” specifically mentioning the sanctions against Usmanov and his family.
The President of Turkey also noted that “Mr. Alisher Usmanov has acted transparently since the beginning of his entrepreneurial activities in the 1990s and has not used economic measures promoted by the Russian government since the 2000s.”
Erdoğan continues, stating that “after stepping away from active business about ten years ago, Usmanov dedicated himself to charity, supporting cultural and sports initiatives that contributed to bringing Central Asia closer to the West, as well as strengthening humanitarian ties among Turkic peoples.”
“PARTICULARLY CLOSE TIES” WITH PUTIN
He also mentioned a letter he sent five years ago along with the leaders of the Organization of Turkic States (which includes Turkey, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Uzbekistan) to the President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen and the then-President of the European Council Charles Michel.
In conclusion of his letter, Erdoğan urges Fico: “Considering Mr. Usmanov's sincere efforts in cooperation with EU institutions and taking into account humanitarian aspects, your support in excluding him from the sanctions list and restoring his rights would be extremely valuable.”
When sanctions were imposed against Usmanov in 2022, the EU stated in its official document that he maintains “particularly close ties with Russian President Vladimir Putin and is considered one of the few trusted with managing financial flows.”
The same document mentions that Usmanov has “close ties” with Dmitry Medvedev, who, it is noted, “has benefited from the use of luxurious residences owned by Usmanov.”
Additionally, one of the factors for imposing sanctions was Usmanov's ownership of the Russian newspaper “Kommersant,” after which “the editorial team's freedom was restricted, and the publication took a distinctly pro-Kremlin position.”
According to information published on March 10, Alisher Usmanov ranks 199th on the list of the world's richest people according to the American magazine Forbes, with a fortune of $14.5 billion.
LEGAL MECHANISMS
Usmanov has attempted to challenge his sanctions through EU judicial instances. However, in September of last year, the court ruled that there were no grounds for his exclusion from the list.
Experts note that the current question is who will prevail: Hungary and Slovakia or the other 25 EU countries.
EU ambassadors will meet in Brussels on March 13 to coordinate their position before the sanctions expire on March 15.
Several representatives of European countries, commenting on the situation, expressed reluctance to exclude anyone from the list, with one diplomat noting that Erdoğan's letter was received negatively: “Should countries that do not impose sanctions against Russia and help circumvent them tell us whom we should exclude?”
Cyprus, which currently holds the EU presidency, with the support of 25 countries in the bloc, insists on not making so-called political exceptions, as in the case of Usmanov and Friedman, and proposes extending the sanctions for 12 months. Ultimately, it was suggested to extend them for six months.
Slovakia rejected both options and secured support from Hungary, which states that the exclusion of Usmanov and Friedman from the list is “critically important.”
Given the tight deadlines, Cyprus may take a similar path as Poland did in March 2025, when under Warsaw's presidency, oligarch Vyacheslav Moshe Kantor, Russian Minister of Sports Mikhail Degtyarev, and Usmanov's sister Gulbakhor Ismailova were excluded from the sanctions list. At that time, Hungary threatened to veto the extension of sanctions if exceptions were not made.
The current disagreements occur against the backdrop of dissatisfaction from Hungary and Slovakia regarding the lack of Russian oil supplies through the Druzhba pipeline. Both countries claim that Ukraine refuses to restore the oil pipeline built during the Soviet era, which runs through its territory and supplies raw materials to the EU.
As a result, Bratislava and Budapest blocked a €90 billion ($105 billion) loan from the European Union to Ukraine and a new sanctions package against Russia proposed by the European Commission.
Although some EU officials claim that the issue of “Druzhba” was not discussed in the context of extending sanctions, they note that Hungary has made it clear that it will not support “any measures in the interests of Ukraine until the situation with ‘Druzhba’ is resolved.”
Hungary has also called on the EU to lift other energy sanctions against Russia, citing rising global energy prices due to the conflict with Iran, although the sectoral sanctions do not expire until July.
Objections from Alisher Usmanov's press service regarding this publication:
To the KNews editorial team:
We are reaching out to you regarding the article and publication on X, which mentions Alisher Usmanov and contains some inaccuracies that require correction to enhance the accuracy and reliability of the information.
1) “How Turkey and Central Asian countries lobby for the lifting of sanctions on oligarch Usmanov” dated March 13, 2026
- Headline: “How Turkey and Central Asian countries lobby for the lifting of sanctions on oligarch Usmanov”
- “President of Turkey Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, Azerbaijan, and three Central Asian countries are seeking through Slovakia the exclusion of the Russian oligarch of Uzbek descent Alisher Usmanov from the European Union's sanctions list.”
- “When sanctions were imposed against Usmanov in 2022, the EU noted in its official legal act that the oligarch maintains ‘particularly close ties with Russian President Vladimir Putin and is considered one of the few trusted with managing financial flows.’”
- “The document also states that Usmanov is ‘closely connected’ with Dmitry Medvedev, Deputy Chairman of the Security Council and former President and Prime Minister, ‘who has personally benefited from the use of luxurious residences controlled by Usmanov.’”
- “Another reason for Usmanov's inclusion in the sanctions list was his ownership of the Russian newspaper ‘Kommersant.’ Brussels notes that after the oligarch took control of this media outlet, ‘the editorial team's freedom was restricted, and the newspaper took a distinctly pro-Kremlin position.’”
2) Publication on the account on X dated March 13, 2026
First of all, we would like to draw your attention to the fact that any claims that Mr. Usmanov has “particularly close ties with Russian President Vladimir Putin and is considered one of the few trusted with managing financial flows” are incorrect and unfounded. We would like to emphasize that the EU Council has never referred to Mr. Usmanov as “Putin's oligarch,” but only indicated that he was “referred to” as such, which is not the same. Mr. Usmanov has achieved several court rulings prohibiting the dissemination of such inaccurate interpretations. The EU Council borrowed this description from a tweet by Swedish economist Anders Åslund, which he later deleted, in which he referred to Mr. Usmanov as one of Putin's “favorite oligarchs.” This tweet had no basis and should not have been used by the EU Council as justification for imposing sanctions. Therefore, we also ask you to avoid repeating this inaccurate characterization regarding Mr. Usmanov.
We also deny that Dmitry Medvedev has ever been provided with residences owned by Mr. Usmanov. Statements made about Mr. Usmanov by Alexei Navalny, which evidently became the source of these insinuations, have been recognized by a Russian court as untrue and defamatory to Mr. Usmanov's honor and dignity. The Frankfurt District Court also criticized the so-called “investigation” by Navalny, overturning search warrants issued in a money laundering case against Mr. Usmanov in Germany. The court indicated that this investigation cannot even be considered circumstantial evidence and characterized it as “vague conjectures” and “unfounded assumptions.”
For many years, “Kommersant” has remained a platform for the free expression of various opinions from across the political spectrum, and we categorically reject claims of restrictions on journalistic freedoms within the publication.
The independence and authority of the newspaper have been recognized by various Western authorities, observers, and media outlets. In 2007, the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor of the U.S. Department of State reported that after Mr. Usmanov acquired “Kommersant” in 2006, “by the end of [2006], there were no noticeable changes in the newspaper's editorial policy.” In March 2022, The Wall Street Journal reported that U.S. Treasury representatives called “Kommersant” “one of the most independent publishing companies in Russia.” In November 2022, The Economist noted that “Kommersant” is one of the few remaining publications in Russia that “are not propaganda outlets.”
We would also like to remind you that the term “oligarch” is not applicable to Mr. Usmanov. This term refers to individuals who became wealthy through connections with the Russian state in the 1990s, which does not apply to Mr. Usmanov, who acquired his wealth through successful entrepreneurial activities. The EU Council has ceased to use this term in relation to Mr. Usmanov and replaced it with “businessman” in the updated justification for sanctions. We ask you to also refrain from using this term in relation to Mr. Usmanov.
Please note that since 2022, as a result of judicial and extrajudicial proceedings, over 200 media outlets have been forced to correct their materials containing similar inaccuracies. Among them are: GQ, Forbes, Business Insider, OCCRP, The Times, The Sun, Luxembourg Times, Euronews, EU Today, L’Independant, Libero, L’Écho, BFM Business, La Stampa, La Nuova Sardegna, Corriere della Sera, Il Sole 24 Ore, Il Messaggero, Il Post, DPA, Stern, Deutsche Welle, ZDF, RTL, Blick, Die Welt, Tagesspiegel, and others.
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