Billionaire Timchenko Says Knowing Putin Doesn’t Make Him Ally

Russian billionaire Gennady Timchenko attacked the European Union’s decision to sanction him, saying his close ties to President Vladimir Putin don’t mean he’s an ally in the war in Ukraine.

Timchenko and his wife in separate appeals on Wednesday told judges at the bloc’s second-highest court that the EU’s justifications for including them on its sanctions list lacked proof and should be annulled.

“Even though it’s true that Gennady Timchenko has known Mr. Putin for a long time, to call him a confidant is something that we contest, as this statement contains a sort of allegation,” his lawyer Stéphane ...