The U.K. announced a host of new Russia-related sanctions this week, targeting major energy firms Rosneft and Lukoil, along with four oil terminals in China, 44 tankers in Russia’s shadow fleet and more. The U.K. also said it’s banning imports of oil products refined in third countries using Russian-origin crude oil.
President Donald Trump posted on social media that he and Russian President Vladimir Putin had a long, "very productive" phone call on Oct. 16. In addition to talking about the ceasefire in Gaza and the first lady's efforts to get Ukrainian children held in Russia or Russia-occupied Ukraine back to their parents in free Ukraine, "we also spent a great deal of time talking about Trade between Russia and the United States when the War with Ukraine is over," he wrote.
The U.K. on Oct. 16 amended one entry under its Russia sanctions regime. The Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation updated the listing for German Valentinovich Belous, director of Russian financial services company Novikombank, to describe his involvement in obtaining benefits from the Russian government.
The U.K.’s lead sanctions agency is expecting penalty decisions in a range of Russia-related enforcement actions next year, it said in its annual report released this week.
Poland on Oct. 10 sanctioned Armen Harutyunyan, who it said manages companies that export nitrogen fertilizers from Belarus to Poland and other EU countries. Harutyunyan is or was the owner or controller of Polish company TST PL, United Arab Emirates-based World Chem Trading Co. and Belarus-based Technospetstrading, Poland said. He's also the indirect owner of Belarus-based Technospetstradingexport LLC.
Five senators, including leaders of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said Oct. 15 that they welcome the Trump administration’s decision to allow a sanctions license for Serbia’s majority-Russian-owned oil company, NIS, to lapse this month. Russia uses energy to commit economic coercion in Europe and sustain its war against Ukraine, said a joint statement from Foreign Relations Chairman Jim Risch, R-Idaho, ranking member Jeanne Shaheen, D-N.H., and others. They also said that Russia’s stake in the company undermines Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic’s goal of joining the EU.
The U.K. issued a pair of general sanctions licenses Oct. 15 allowing parties to wind down their positions with various sanctioned energy companies and Russian oil companies.
The U.S. is drafting a new set of export controls to use against China if Beijing follows through on its rules to restrict overseas exports that contain certain levels of Chinese-origin material (see 2510090021), senior administration officials said Oct. 15 during a press conference. They also said they're working to coordinate a response with allies.
The U.K.’s ongoing public consultation about how it can improve its civil enforcement of financial sanctions (see 2507220056) -- including whether it should increase its maximum penalty amounts -- could lead to “greater scrutiny” and more investigations, Akin said this week in a client alert.
Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla., announced Oct. 9 that he's introducing a resolution that calls for applying “all applicable sanctions authorities against officials of the Chinese Communist Party, including sanctions authorized by the Global Magnitsky Human Rights Accountability Act.” The resolution accuses Chinese President Xi Jinping of "deceit, undermining prospects for peace and security, and orchestrating crimes against humanity." It lists dozens of examples of China's objectionable behavior, including supporting Russia’s war against Ukraine, threatening to take over Taiwan, conducting “genocide” against Uyghur Muslims and violating its World Trade Organization obligations.