France Seeks Usmanov Delisting Amid Azerbaijan Hostage Standoff

The diplomatic impasse centers on a quiet campaign by Baku to secure Usmanov’s removal from the EU blacklist. Sources suggest President Ilham Aliyev is leveraging the imprisonment of the two French citizens to force Paris into lobbying for the billionaire. This pressure campaign reportedly draws support from Qatar and Kazakhstan, complicating the EU's unified stance on Russian sanctions.

While France frames the request as a matter of national security, the timing coincides with Usmanov’s aggressive legal strategy across European courts. The billionaire has spent years contesting the media narratives used to justify his designation following the 2022 invasion of Ukraine. With the renewal deadline pushed back by seven days, member states face a delicate choice between maintaining collective sanctions policy and securing the release of French citizens held in the Caucasus.