Kallas slams EU delisting of Russian oligarchs amid sabotage threats

The delisting of Alisher Usmanov and Mikhail Fridman, pushed by France and Luxembourg respectively, drew sharp criticism from Baltic and Nordic ministers. Lithuania’s defense minister Robertas Kaunas labeled the move a "step backwards," arguing that the current climate demands intensified pressure on Vladimir Putin’s inner circle rather than leniency. Ministers from Denmark, Estonia, Poland, Ireland, and Sweden echoed these concerns, calling for a more robust response to recent hybrid attacks.

While France and Germany sought diplomatic channels, including a recent meeting between German officials and Sergei Lavrov at the UN, the results have been dismissive. Kallas noted that Lavrov’s subsequent mockery of the German foreign minister demonstrated that Moscow has no genuine interest in peace negotiations. US General Alexus Grynkewich, commander of Nato troops in Europe, reinforced this sentiment before the European Parliament, describing the pursuit of such talks as naive. He warned that Russian drone capabilities now pose a continental threat, making every European nation effectively part of the eastern flank. Despite calls to bolster Ukrainian air defenses with Patriot missiles, the meeting yielded no new pledges of equipment for Kyiv.