Kadri Simson also said the EU is preparing for a sudden end to the Russian gas supply when the transit contract between Ukraine and Moscow expires at the end of this year.
Despite Western #sanctions Russia's weapons stockpile continues to replenish unrelentingly. As of March, the country was producing three times more artillery shells than the United States and Europe for #Ukraine. #Moscow has managed to bypass traditional checks and balances during its invasion, importing basic materials and components instead of weapons, Jean-Emile Jammine takes a look at the loopholes benifiting the Kremlin and how the West could be complicit.
The U.S. imposed new sanctions on May 1 against nearly 300 companies and individuals in Russia and third countries, including Chinese companies, for aiding Moscow's war effort, the Treasury Department announced.
Italy has overcome its dependence on Russian gas and will not oppose the proposed package of EU sanctions on liquified natural gas (LNG), Italian Energy Minister Gilberto Pichetto Fratin said on April 28.
In 2023, the largest #Western#banks still operating in #Russia paid taxes that were four times the amount they paid before the full-scale invasion. This is due partly to international #sanctions on Russian banks.
#Chinese companies concerned about U.S. #sanctions are having to find news ways to sell their goods to Russia. One Chinese company selling electrical goods is considering selling them through currency brokers on China's shared border with #russia Reuters reports.
How about this: EU banks paid in #russia FOUR TIMES more taxes in 2023 than before the war. Half of that comes from #Austria#reiffeisenbank which not just didn’t leave russia as promised, but is actively expanding its business there. Way to go #eu, let’s finance russian war machine!
The banks are:
Raiffeisen Bank International, Unicredit, ING, Commerzbank, Deutsche Bank, Intesa Sanpaolo, OTP
"Italy has emancipated itself from Russian natural #gas and would have no problem with a proposed package of #EU#sanctions on #LNG that the European Commission is considering, Italian #Energy Minister Gilberto Pichetto Fratin said.
#Italy was one of the countries most dependent on Russian gas at the time of Moscow's all-out invasion of #Ukraine in 2022. But it has been remarkably nimble at diversifying supply..."
France threatens new sanctions against West Bank settlers
> PARIS: #France is considering extending #sanctions on Israeli settlers behind violence against Palestinian civilians in the occupied West Bank, President #EmmanuelMacron’s office said he spoke with Jordan’s King Abdullah II.
EU Trade Commissioner Valdis Dombrovskis said earlier in April that the bloc is preparing its 14th round of sanctions against Russia, which should be adopted in spring.
Airbus has been granted a waiver by the Canadian government, allowing it to continue using Russian titanium after Ottawa became the first Western nation to ban the metal in its latest package of sanctions targeting the Kremlin, Reuters reported on April 23.
The proposal "would target those responsible for threatening the stability, security or sovereignty of EU member states or third countries by undermining elections, the rule of law, facilitating acts of violence or do so through the use of information manipulation and interference," Bloomberg wrote.
The EU is assessing imposing sanctions against over a dozen companies that continue to supply Russia with weapons technology, such as navigation systems for missiles, Bloomberg reported on April 23.
"Adopting the 14th sanctions package is one of the most important things," Swedish Foreign Minister Tobias Billstrom said when he arrived in Luxembourg for a ministerial EU meeting.
He knows that the #sanctions for those items can easily be busted by non-Chinese businesses around the world, whereby businesses in Central and #SouthwestAsia act as proxies/conduits for those sanctioned items, sending them direct to #russia after passage through their respective countries first.
But #China must've increased their supply quite a bit for #Blinken to publicly call them out. Not that it'll have any affect on them doing it.
At last, some European sanctions on Israeli settler-terrorists
Report April 19
The European Council decided to impose sanctions on several extremist settlers in the occupied West Bank & East Jerusalem.
The council has listed "four persons & two entities" under the EU Global Human Rights Sanctions Regime over "serious human rights abuses against Palestinians."
The #UnitedStates will impose sanctions on Iran’s missile & drone program, as well as entities supporting the Iranian regime or military, #NationalSecurity adviser Jake Sullivan announced late Tues.
Earlier in the day, #Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said additional sanctions on Iran would be forthcoming in retaliation for its attack against Israel over the weekend.
“#Treasury will not hesitate to work w/our allies to use our #sanctions authority to continue disrupting the Iranian regime’s malign & destabilizing activity,” she said.
Experts, however, say the #UnitedStates faces limited meaningful options for doing so w/o antagonizing #China or risking a spike in the price of oil.
#US ofcls & their #EU#allies are discussing potential #economic responses to Iran, as leading Western ofcls converged on Washington for the spring meetings of the % #IMF & #WorldBank. Their options are limited because #Iran is already one of the most heavily penalized countries in the world, w/ US #sanctions in effect on its #banking, #manufacturing & #energy sectors.
Commissioner: EU's next package of Russia sanctions to target LNG imports (kyivindependent.com)
Kadri Simson also said the EU is preparing for a sudden end to the Russian gas supply when the transit contract between Ukraine and Moscow expires at the end of this year.
US sanctions Russia, Chinese companies for war effort support (kyivindependent.com)
The U.S. imposed new sanctions on May 1 against nearly 300 companies and individuals in Russia and third countries, including Chinese companies, for aiding Moscow's war effort, the Treasury Department announced.
Minister: Italy has no reason to oppose new EU sanctions against Russian gas (kyivindependent.com)
Italy has overcome its dependence on Russian gas and will not oppose the proposed package of EU sanctions on liquified natural gas (LNG), Italian Energy Minister Gilberto Pichetto Fratin said on April 28.
Reuters: Next round of EU sanctions on Russia to target shadow fleet, ships transporting North Korean equipment (kyivindependent.com)
EU Trade Commissioner Valdis Dombrovskis said earlier in April that the bloc is preparing its 14th round of sanctions against Russia, which should be adopted in spring.
Reuters: Canada grants Airbus waiver against sanctions on Russian titanium (kyivindependent.com)
Airbus has been granted a waiver by the Canadian government, allowing it to continue using Russian titanium after Ottawa became the first Western nation to ban the metal in its latest package of sanctions targeting the Kremlin, Reuters reported on April 23.
Bloomberg: France proposes new sanctions to target Russian disinformation, election interference (kyivindependent.com)
The proposal "would target those responsible for threatening the stability, security or sovereignty of EU member states or third countries by undermining elections, the rule of law, facilitating acts of violence or do so through the use of information manipulation and interference," Bloomberg wrote.
Bloomberg: EU considering sanctions against foreign companies behind Russian defense tech (kyivindependent.com)
The EU is assessing imposing sanctions against over a dozen companies that continue to supply Russia with weapons technology, such as navigation systems for missiles, Bloomberg reported on April 23.
Swedish FM: EU's next Russia sanctions package must target shadow tanker fleet, LNG imports (kyivindependent.com)
"Adopting the 14th sanctions package is one of the most important things," Swedish Foreign Minister Tobias Billstrom said when he arrived in Luxembourg for a ministerial EU meeting.