Sen. Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut, the top Democrat on a Russian secondary sanctions bill, said he's not discouraged that Senate Majority Leader John Thune is putting off a vote on the bill again. The bill has 85 sponsors in the Senate, and would give the president the ability to put up to 500% tariffs on the goods of countries that buy Russian fossil fuels; it also would expand sanctions on Russian officials.
The EU on Oct. 16 issued updated FAQs about its dual-use export control regulations and its import ban on refined petroleum products that contain Russian crude oil. The export control FAQs cover due diligence and compliance obligations for EU exporters, as well as other guidance to help companies comply with the rules. The Russia oil FAQs outline the circumstances under which EU companies need to carry out "enhanced" due diligence to make sure an imported refined oil product doesn't contain Russia-origin oil.
A bipartisan group of 27 House members, including House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Emeritus Michael McCaul, R-Texas, called on President Donald Trump Oct. 17 to impose “forceful new joint sanctions” on Russia and countries that buy its oil, to pressure Moscow to negotiate a peace deal with Ukraine.
RANCH MIRAGE, Calif. -- The Federal Maritime Commission is increasing its enforcement action against ocean transportation intermediaries (OTIs) to promote adherence to licensing and tariff regulations, speakers said at the Pacific Coast Council’s Western Cargo Conference last week.
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.