Usmanov’s press service responds to News.Az article – Full statement

The press service of Alisher Usmanov has issued a statement responding to a recent article by News.Az, addressing claims related to leaked recordings alleging that Sergey Lavrov asked Péter Szijjártó to help remove Usmanov’s sister from the European Union sanctions list.

We would like to provide an on-record statement from Joachim Nikolaus Steinhöfel, the Hamburg-based legal representative for Mr. Usmanov and Mrs. Ismailova, and kindly request that the statement below be added to the article:

“Any request to the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs to support the delisting of Alisher Usmanov and his relatives was an official diplomatic matter and was fully consistent with the state’s responsibility to protect the rights of its citizens and their relatives in accordance with the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations.

Appeals to the leadership of the EU and other countries regarding the delisting of Mr. Usmanov’s sister, Mrs. Ismailova, were initiated and supported by the leaders of a number of states.

In March 2025, her delisting was approved by the Council of the European Union as a joint decision of all EU member states, underscoring the lack of legal grounds for maintaining sanctions against her.”

Notably, on March 31, 2026, News.Az published a report claiming that leaked recordings revealed close coordination between Sergey Lavrov and Péter Szijjártó, allegedly bypassing European Union sanctions policy.

News.Az