UK PM promises Zelenskyy to keep sanctions on Russian oligarchs Usmanov and Fridman

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said that UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham assured him that the UK has no plans to lift sanctions on Alisher Usmanov and Mikhail Fridman after the EU removed the Russian billionaires from its sanctions lists.

Zelenskyy was asked during an online briefing with the media whether Burnham had assured him that London would not lift sanctions on Usmanov and Fridman and whether the EU was prepared to vote for the next sanctions package containing measures aimed at countering Russia's ballistic missile capabilities.

Zelenskyy said he had raised the issue of sanctions, including the need to prevent sanctions against Usmanov and Fridman from being lifted, during his meeting with Burnham.

"The prime minister assured me that he has no intention of doing so. I am very grateful to him," Zelenskyy said.

The president also said the EU had assured him that the next 3,000 individuals subject to sanctions would not be removed from future sanctions packages. He stressed that he had also received assurances that the EU would vote in favour of the upcoming packages.

Media reports previously said that Burnham had told Zelenskyy that he disagreed with the European Union's decision to lift sanctions on Russian billionaires Alisher Usmanov and Mikhail Fridman.

The move points to a rare split between the UK and the EU over sanctions against Russia, which have largely been coordinated since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

Both Fridman and Usmanov have had interests in the UK. Usmanov is best known internationally for his investment in London football club Arsenal, which he exited in 2018. Fridman moved to London in 2013 but left the country after sanctions were imposed on him.

On 22 September, the Council of the EU decided to extend for another 36 months the restrictive measures against individuals responsible for undermining or threatening Ukraine's territorial integrity, sovereignty and independence, but removed Russian oligarchs Alisher Usmanov and Mikhail Fridman from the sanctions list.