Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, and Rep. Andy Barr, R-Ky., have introduced a bill that would continue sanctions on Russia’s Nord Stream 2 natural gas pipeline project for another six years and prohibit a national interest waiver of those sanctions, according to a June 5 news release.
The Office of Foreign Assets Control this week sanctioned the Ecuador-based Los Lobos Drug Trafficking Organization and its leader, Wilmer Geovanny Chavarria Barre, for contributing to violence and illegal drug trafficking in the country. The agency said the sanctions build on the February designation of the Los Choneros gang in Ecuador and its leader (see 2402070066).
The State Department issued a notice this week describing the new export restrictions and other sanctions it imposed against Russia in May after determining the country used chemical weapons in violation of international law (see 2405010072). The agency certified to Congress under the Chemical and Biological Weapons Control and Warfare Elimination Act that Russia has used the weapons, and the agency’s certification places restrictions on U.S. Munitions List exports to Russia, arms sales, exports of “national security-sensitive” goods and technology, and more, according to a Federal Register notice released June 6. The notice also outlines several exemptions to the restrictions, including for certain exports necessary for “safety of flight,” certain deemed exports to Russian nationals and exports involving government space cooperation. The agency said the measures will “be implemented by the responsible departments and agencies” and will remain in effect for at least one year.
Lawmakers are proposing dozens of export control-, sanctions- and foreign investment-related amendments to the House version of the FY 2025 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), including measures aimed at China, Iran and Russia.
The Group of 7 nations are working on a deal that would allow all members to use seized Russian assets to support Ukraine’s war effort against Russia, said Daleep Singh, a National Security Council official. He said the countries haven’t agreed to terms yet, but the U.S. hopes to make progress when the G7 nations meet in Italy next week.
The U.K. recently amended a general license under its Russia sanctions regime to allow a "scheme of arrangement prepared" by the administrators of sanctioned Russian bank VTB Capital. The license generally permits the bank to pay for its "basic needs," which include the payment of insurance premiums, reasonable fees, property management services, employee pensions, taxes and rent or mortgage payments. The license expires at the end of the day April 3, 2030.
The House of Representatives voted 247-155 on June 4 to pass a bill that would sanction International Criminal Court (ICC) officials if they issue arrest warrants for Israeli leaders over the war in Gaza.
Sen. Chris Van Hollen, D-Md., June 4 urged Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen to consider sanctioning Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich over his West Bank policies.
Despite increasing export control cooperation between the U.S. and the EU, there’s still “considerable differences” in the two sides’ dual-use export control systems, including across control lists, enforcement issues and reexport control rules, researchers said. A recent report by Istituto Affari Internazionali, an Italian think tank, examines the differences between the two systems and ways they can work closer together, including through a proposal by the European Commission for a new forum for “political coordination” of export controls (see 2405160081).
A June 3 blog post by Defense Trade Solutions, a consultant used by the U.S. defense industry, outlines the licensing and recordkeeping requirements, along with a set of best practices, for brokers involved in exporting defense articles and services.