The EU and the U.K. plan to lower their price caps on Russian crude oil from $47.60 per barrel to $44.10 per barrel, they announced this week. The new price will take effect Feb. 1, although a transitional period through April 16 will permit certain payments of $47.60 per barrel for contracts that were concluded before 11:01 GMT on Jan. 31 for the U.K. and before Jan. 16 for the EU, according to FAQs released by the two entities. The U.K.'s Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation also updated its price cap general license to reflect the change.
The Office of Foreign Assets Control this week extended a Russia-related general license that authorizes certain transactions for the negotiation of and entry into contingent contracts for the sale of Lukoil International GmbH -- the international business of Russian energy firm Lukoil -- and related maintenance activities. General License 131B, which replaces 131A, now expires at 12:01 a.m. ET Feb. 28. The license was scheduled to expire Jan. 17.
Companies should expect the Trump administration to continue to rely heavily on sanctions and sanctions enforcement as a foreign policy tool in 2026, including through new designations to pressure countries in the Western Hemisphere and penalties on gatekeepers that enable evasion, law firms said this month. They also said it's still unclear how the U.S. will approach its sanctions regime against Venezuela, although the administration would likely be able to easily roll back many of those restrictions.
The Office of Foreign Assets Control renewed a general license this week that authorizes payments of certain taxes, fees, import duties, licenses, certifications and other similar transactions involving the Central Bank of the Russian Federation, the National Wealth Fund of the Russian Federation and the Ministry of Finance of the Russian Federation that would normally be blocked under Directive 4 of Executive Order 14024. General License 13P, which replaces 13O, authorizes those transactions through 12:01 a.m. ET April 9, as long as they're “ordinarily incident and necessary to the day-to-day operations in the Russian Federation of such U.S. persons or entities.” The license was scheduled to expire Jan. 9.
The U.K.'s Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation recently issued new FAQs about its Russia-related general license that applies to certain transactions to cover the costs of arbitration. New FAQs 177-183 address the circumstances under which companies should use the license and what payments are specifically covered. They also clarify that there needs to be a U.K. "nexus" for the payment to be affected by the country's sanctions, state that legal advice and representation in dispute resolution is included in the U.K.'s definition of “Legal Services,” and more.
The Office of Foreign Assets Control on Dec. 19 again extended a general license that continues to delay an exemption that would authorize certain transactions related to Petroleos de Venezuela S.A., Venezuela’s state-owned energy company. General License 5T, which replaced GL 5S, now authorizes certain transactions with PdVSA involving an 8.5% bond on or after Feb. 3, 2026. The previous license was set to allow those transactions to occur on or after Dec. 20.
China has approved certain export license applications submitted by Chinese companies for shipments of controlled rare earths, a Ministry of Commerce spokesperson said Dec. 18.
The Office of Foreign Assets Control updated two Russia-related general licenses involving certain transactions involving Lukoil International GmbH, the international business of Russian energy firm Lukoil. One FAQ covers General License 131A (see 2512100017), which authorizes certain activities related to the negotiation of contracts for the sale of Lukoil International, and the other FAQ covers GL 131A along with GL 128B (see 2512040018), which authorizes certain transactions involving Lukoil retail service stations located outside Russia.
The U.S. this week sanctioned two International Criminal Court judges, Gocha Lordkipanidze of Georgia and Erdenebalsuren Damdin of Mongolia, after accusing them of aiding the court's "politicized actions" against Israel. The State Department said the judges are helping the ICC "investigate, arrest, detain, or prosecute Israeli nationals, without Israel’s consent." They also voted in favor of the ICC’s ruling against Israel’s appeal on Dec. 15. The ICC is investigating the Israeli government for committing alleged war crimes against civilians in Gaza.
The Office of Foreign Assets Control this week sanctioned 29 ships and their management companies, which it said are operating as part of Iran's shadow fleet and helping the country transport petroleum and petroleum products through "deceptive shipping practices." They have helped Iran move hundreds of millions of dollars worth of Iranian petroleum, OFAC said.