Sanctions

US refiners expect Russian fuel sanctions to keep margins high

The European Union's ban on Russian fuel imports that begins next week is expected to keep profit margins high this year at US oil refiners, executives said on Tuesday (31 January), as global fuel trade shifts.

Hungary will veto EU sanctions on Russian nuclear energy, Orban warns

Hungary will veto any European Union sanctions against Russia affecting nuclear energy, Prime Minister Viktor Orbán told state radio on Friday (27 January).

EU eyes $100/barrel cap on Russian premium oil products

The European Commission is proposing that the EU set a $100 per barrel price cap on premium Russian oil products like diesel and a $45 per barrel cap on discounted products like fuel oil, European Union officials said on Thursday (26 January).

IKEA replaces Russia, Belarus with wood supplies from EU countries

IKEA is using more wood from Sweden and the Baltics to make up for not sourcing it from Russia and Belarus which the company has shunned due to Moscow's war in Ukraine, its wood supply boss said in an interview.

Europe’s inertia on migrant returns

Dear readers, Welcome to EU Politics Decoded where Benjamin Fox and Eleonora Vasques will bring you a round-up of the latest political news in Europe and beyond every Thursday. In this edition, we look at how EU leaders are now...

US sees some Chinese companies helping Russia’s Ukraine effort

The US has determined that some Chinese companies are providing non-lethal assistance to Russia for use in the Ukraine war and officials are noting their concern to the Chinese government, a source familiar with the matter said on 24 January.

Ukraine pledges sweeping personnel changes, crackdown on corruption

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said personnel changes were being carried out at senior and lower levels, following the most high-profile graft allegations since Russia's invasion that threaten to dampen Western enthusiasm for the Kyiv government.

Bulgaria needs to beware of its Russian connections

Bulgaria needs to look into itself and ask whether it could be at risk of failing to police sanctions against those connected to the Russian state, now a pariah following the invasion of Ukraine, writes Nick Kochan.

Sakhalin exception: the Russian energy Japan can’t quit

This year's Group of Seven president Japan has joined the bloc's condemnation of Russia's Ukraine invasion, imposing sanctions and agreeing on an oil price cap, with one exception: Moscow's Sakhalin energy projects.

Investigation: Ukraine buys huge amounts of Russian fuels from Bulgaria

In 2022, Ukraine bought a huge amount of fuels from Bulgaria made from Russian oil, according to data by the Bulgarian National Statistical Institute, provided exclusively to EURACTIV Bulgaria.

EU brushes off results of Hungary’s national consultation on Russia sanctions

The European Commission on Monday (16 January) dismissed the results of Hungary's controversial government consultation on EU sanctions against Russia, which were released over the weekend.

Greece, Malta lag behind in sanctioning Russian assets, EU finds

Greece and Malta lag behind their European Union peers in freezing Russian assets sanctioned over Moscow's war against Ukraine, according to an EU official and an internal document, as the bloc considers using the assets to help Kyiv.

Ukraine expects EU to include Russia’s Rosatom in next sanctions

Kyiv expects the European Union to include Russian state nuclear energy company Rosatom in its next round of sanctions over the war in Ukraine, Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal said on Monday (9 January).

Germany, Belgium, Luxembourg discourage travel to Covid-hit China

Germany, Belgium and Luxembourg on Saturday (7 January) discouraged non-essential trips to China, the world's most populous nation, as it struggles with a surge in Covid cases after relaxing strict virus restrictions.

EU countries ‘encouraged’ to demand Covid tests from China passengers

EU countries are "strongly encouraged" to demand Covid tests from passengers coming from China, a crisis meeting of European Union experts decided Wednesday (4 January).

Removing the Russian burden from Serbia’s back

In making plans for aggression against Ukraine, Russia probably made calculations, but it is unclear what calculations Belgrade made so it continues to act vis-à-vis Russia as an ally, Orhan Dragaš writes.

Chinese hospitals ‘extremely busy’ as COVID spreads unchecked

Chinese hospitals were under intense pressure as a surge of COVID-19 infections strained medical resources, while the scale of the outbreak and doubts over official data prompted some countries to consider new travel rules on Chinese visitors.

Russia announces oil ban to countries that imposed price cap

Russia on Tuesday (27 December) banned oil sales to countries and companies that comply with a price cap agreed by Western nations, briefly helping to lift crude prices.

Forecast 2023: Putin’s Russia will look more like North Korea

The shut-off of the Russian economy will accelerate in 2023, as Moscow moves closer to the North Korean economic model. And Putin can complete his task of devising a regime where nobody can replace him, with oil it can’t sell and roubles it can’t use.

Russia explores buying some of the 400 ‘stolen’ airplanes

Russian airlines have held exploratory talks with at least one major Western leasing firm about using state funds to buy some of the more than 400 aircraft stranded in Russia after its invasion of Ukraine, according to documents and sources.

Russian mobile calls, internet seen deteriorating after Nokia, Ericsson leave

When telecoms gear makers Nokia and Ericsson leave Russia at the end of the year, their departure could steadily cripple the country's mobile networks over the long-term, setting off a deterioration in communication for everyday Russians.

Russian gold removed from some Western funds after Ukraine invasion

Hidden inside high-security bank vaults in London, Zurich and New York, billions of dollars' worth of gold of Russian origin has quietly changed hands in recent months in response to Moscow's invasion of Ukraine.

Illegal Belarus timber flows to EU circumventing sanctions via Central Asia

Belarus is circumventing EU sanctions by exporting its timber to EU countries using false documents claiming that the wood comes from Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan, a Belarusian investigative website revealed on Tuesday (20 December).

Hungary to call for discussion on Russia sanctions impact

EU leaders and the European Commission should evaluate the impact of the bloc's Russia sanctions on individual member states, particularly in the context of the ongoing energy crisis, according to Prime Minister Viktor Orbán’s chief adviser.