All posts tagged: Russia sanctions

Putin bei Xi und die neue Achse des Bösen – POLITICO

Putin bei Xi und die neue Achse des Bösen – POLITICO

Published by Sam Flores

Xi Jinping empfängt den russischen Präsidenten Wladimir Putin in Peking. Offiziell geht es um das Jubiläum des chinesisch-russischen Freundschaftsvertrags. Gordon Repinski analysiert, wie China die russische Kriegswirtschaft durch Dual-Use-Komponenten für Drohnen und Raketen unterstützt und warum Putin in dieser Partnerschaft längst zum Juniorpartner degradiert wurde. Im 200-Sekunden-Interview: Konstantin von Notz (Grüne), der stellvertretenden Fraktionschef und Mitglied im Parlamentarischen Kontrollgremium. Er warnt eindringlich davor, die nachrichtendienstliche und militärische Aggression Chinas zu unterschätzen, und ordnet die jüngsten russischen Sabotage- und Desinformationsversuche in Deutschland ein. Nach langem Zögern und einem intensiven politischen Gerangel zwischen SPD und Union steht die Mehrheit für einen symbolischen Diäten-Verzicht im Bundestag. Die für Juli geplante Erhöhung der Abgeordnetenbezüge fällt aus. Rasmus Buchsteiner berichtet über das bürokratische Kuriosum in der Bundestagsverwaltung, die nun zunächst mehr Geld auszahlen muss, um es später wieder zurückzufordern. Das Berlin Playbook als Podcast gibt es jeden Morgen ab 5 Uhr. Gordon Repinski und das POLITICO-Team liefern Politik zum Hören – kompakt, international, hintergründig. Für alle Hauptstadt-Profis: Der Berlin Playbook-Newsletter bietet jeden Morgen die wichtigsten Themen und Einordnungen. ⁠Jetzt kostenlos …

Luxembourgish MEP leads recruitment drive for trip to Russia – POLITICO

Luxembourgish MEP leads recruitment drive for trip to Russia – POLITICO

Published by Sam Flores

“Assistance with finding suitable accommodation can be provided, and personalized invitations to the St. Petersburg Economic Forum will follow in due course,” reads the letter, which was sent to a broad list of EU lawmakers. Kartheiser’s outreach is controversial due to restrictions on cooperation between the European Parliament and its Russian counterpart. The European Parliament officially suspended official dialogue with Russian parliamentary bodies in 2014, while Russian and Belarusian officials have been barred from accessing the European Parliament since shortly after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. There have been 20 rounds of EU sanctions against Russia. None of this has deterred Kartheiser, who traveled to Moscow last June despite facing expulsion from the ECR group. In response to questions from POLITICO, Kartheiser defended his St Petersburg trip — which he said was privately funded — saying its relevance was “undisputable.” Petras Auštrevičius, a Lithuanian lawmaker with the centrist Renew Europe group, called the recruitment push “an open attempt to recruit” MEPs “for working for Russia as informants, influencers and more.” | Martin Bertrand/Hans …

Beijing lashes out at EU after Chinese firms included in latest Russia sanctions – POLITICO

Beijing lashes out at EU after Chinese firms included in latest Russia sanctions – POLITICO

Published by Sam Flores

The EU’s 20th sanctions package, approved last week after Hungary and Slovakia dropped their veto, targets another 20 Russian banks, cutting them off from euro transactions and business in the bloc. The breakthrough on the sanctions came after a dispute over the Druzhba oil pipeline — which carries Russian crude via Ukraine to Central Europe — was resolved. The package also targets banks and companies in third countries, including China, as part of a broader push to shut down back channels used to support Russia’s war economy, with a strong focus on anti-circumvention measures across trade, energy and financial networks. French President Emmanuel Macron warned on Friday that Europe is now under pressure from the United States, China and Russia at the same time. “We should not underestimate that this is a unique moment where a U.S. president, a Russian president, a Chinese president are dead against the Europeans,” Macron said, speaking alongside Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis in Athens. The French leader called on the EU to “wake up” and defend its own interests. …

EU sanctions more Russian banks to squeeze Putin’s war economy – POLITICO

EU sanctions more Russian banks to squeeze Putin’s war economy – POLITICO

Published by Sam Flores

The sanctions also include four banks from Kyrgyzstan, Laos and Azerbaijan, in a bid to crack down on sanction-busting strategies and efforts to pay for Russian oil and gas through the back door. EU businesses are also banned from dealing with Russian companies that handle or exchange cryptocurrencies. The list of sanctioned Russian banks now extends to 70 lenders. The sanctions make it much harder for foreign banks to handle international trade, especially as they will be prohibited from using SWIFT, a financial messaging system used to communicate payment instructions across the world. The EU is also curbing exports of a few high-tech goods to Kyrgyzstan, a Central Asian country with strong economic and political ties to Russia. Metal-working machines and radio equipment may no longer be shipped to Kyrgyzstan after customs data showed clear evidence of circumvention. It is the first time the EU is using the so-called anti-circumvention tool. The Kyrgyz government has vowed it will, in turn, ban some exports to Russia. The two sides will monitor trade in other sensitive goods …

Druzhba oil flows resume, clearing path for €90B Ukraine loan – POLITICO

Druzhba oil flows resume, clearing path for €90B Ukraine loan – POLITICO

Published by Sam Flores

The restart breaks a months-long standoff that had frozen the EU’s largest financial package for Kyiv. Hungary’s outgoing prime minister, Viktor Orbán, staunchly blocked the loan and said Budapest would only lift its veto when oil flows were restored. POLITICO reported Wednesday that the deal hinged entirely on the pipeline. Five EU diplomats said Hungary and Slovakia had tied their support to oil physically reaching their territory, with ambassadors agreeing to move forward only once deliveries resumed. “Some caution is needed as there might still be technical issues,” one diplomat said. But another predicted the restart would be enough, pointing to “very scientific calculations” of when oil would arrive. Hungarian oil company MOL announced crude began moving through Ukraine at noon on Tuesday and is expected to reach Hungary and Slovakia by Thursday at the latest. Sáková had earlier pointed to a similar timeline in a previous Facebook post, saying supplies should resume Wednesday morning. With flows now underway, the condition set by Hungary appears to have been met — clearing the way for the …

Inside the campaign to unseat Orbán – POLITICO

Inside the campaign to unseat Orbán – POLITICO

Published by Sam Flores

Hungarians may be the ones voting this Sunday — but all EU citizens have something at stake in the outcome of the election.  After years of obstructionism under PM Viktor Orbán, a new leader in Budapest could mark a turning point for the EU. But is Hungary’s relationship with Brussels dominating the campaign domestically to the same extent it is internationally?  On today’s episode, host Sarah Wheaton speaks with journalist Abigail Frizon (a former EU Confidential trainee) who is filming a documentary about the Hungarian election. She takes us inside the swell of support for the Tisza opposition party based on conversations she’s had with voters on the ground. Plus, she unpacks the top issues for Hungarians that may have been missed abroad. Then Sarah is joined by Nick Vinocur, our chief foreign affairs correspondent, who’s been reporting on growing calls to rethink the EU’s unanimous decision-making process. Do you have a question or a comment? Send us a WhatsApp message here or dial +32 491 05 06 29.  Source link

Why EU foreign policy keeps getting stuck – POLITICO

Why EU foreign policy keeps getting stuck – POLITICO

Published by Sam Flores

EU foreign policy runs on unanimity — and it’s starting to break down. Zoya Sheftalovich and Ian Wishart unpack growing frustration with how the EU makes foreign policy, as divisions over Ukraine funding, Russia sanctions and the war in Iran expose the pitfalls of the veto. With calls — led by Germany and Sweden — mounting to scrap unanimity in foreign and security policy, the question is becoming harder to avoid: Can the EU still act together when it matters most? They also discuss the fallout from the war in Iran, which is already landing in Europe. Energy prices are rising, jet fuel shortages are starting to bite, and countries like Italy are moving independently to secure supplies — raising fresh questions about coordination inside the EU. And finally, Brussels faces a different kind of dilemma: What to do about fur. As the Commission prepares to respond to a citizens’ petition signed by more than 1.5 million people calling for an EU-wide ban, it looks set to stop short — despite a shrinking industry, mounting …

Talks on EU’s €1.8T budget hinge on Hungarian election – POLITICO

Talks on EU’s €1.8T budget hinge on Hungarian election – POLITICO

Published by Sam Flores

Given the Hungarian leader’s success in remaining in power, 10 EU officials and diplomats, all granted anonymity to speak freely with POLITICO, outlined what they see as the worst-case scenario: Orbán securing a fourth term and derailing budget negotiations. “We are not in a rush, so if we win the elections, then we certainly don’t see the need to rush the agreement on the MFF through by the end of 2026,” said Hungarian Minister for European Affairs János Bóka. During negotiations to date, the Hungarian government has called for the links between EU payments and respect for democratic standards to be dismantled. Those standards, however, are a key priority for wealthy Northern European countries, whose contributions to the EU budget largely exceed the payouts they receive in return. “One can easily imagine how a discussion on the rule of law will be more difficult if a government [led by Viktor Orbán] that has had the most difficulties and recorded breaks of the rule of law stays in power,” said Jan Szyszko, Poland’s deputy minister for …

Thought Iraq was a blunder? Iran is far worse. – POLITICO

Thought Iraq was a blunder? Iran is far worse. – POLITICO

Published by Sam Flores

That, too, will have a lasting impact well beyond anything the war in Iraq did. Finally, the fact remains that when Bush decided to invade Iraq, Russia and China were still minor global powers. Russian President Vladimir Putin was only just starting his effort to stabilize the economy and rebuild Russia’s military power, while China had just joined the World Trade Organization and was still a decade or more away from becoming an economic superpower. In other words, America’s blunder in Iraq occurred at a time when the strategic consequences for the global balance of power were still manageable. Trump’s Iran debacle is occurring at a time when China is effectively competing with the U.S. for global power and influence, and Russia is engaged in the largest military action in Europe since the end of World War II. A woman sifts through the rubble in her house in Tehran, Iran on March 15, 2026 after it was damaged by missile attacks two days before. | Majid Saeedi/Getty Images Both stand to benefit greatly. Russia is …

Putin bei Xi und die neue Achse des Bösen – POLITICO

Die Linke versinkt im Streit um Antisemitismus – POLITICO

Published by Sam Flores

In der Linkspartei tobt ein bitterer Kampf um die Deutung des Nahostkonflikts. Während die „alte Garde“ um Gregor Gysi den Schutz Israels als Staatsräson verteidigt , formiert sich an der Basis und in Landesverbänden wie Niedersachsen ein radikaler antizionistischer Flügel. Wie die Parteispitze versucht, das zu moderieren und dabei womöglich den moralischen Kompass verliert, analysiert Gordon Repinski. Janis Ehling, Bundesgeschäftsführer der Linken, stellt sich im 200-Sekunden-Interview der Frage, wie tief der Riss wirklich geht und wie man in der Partei eine klare Grenze zum Antisemitismus ziehen und gleichzeitig wieder zusammen finden kann. In Brüssel beginnt ein entscheidender EU-Gipfel unter extremem Zeitdruck. Kanzler Friedrich Merz und Frankreichs Präsident Emmanuel Macron müssen ihre Differenzen beiseite legen, um den „Dauer-Blockierer“ Viktor Orbán zur Freigabe der 90-Milliarden-Hilfen für die Ukraine zu bewegen. Hans von der Burchard berichtet aus Brüssel über den deutsch-französischen Motor, die Drohungen von Donald Trump und die europäische Antwort auf die eskalierende Lage im Iran. Unseren Podcasts ⁠„Inside AfD“ findet ihr hier⁠ und ⁠„Power & Policy“ hier⁠. Das Berlin Playbook als Podcast gibt es jeden Morgen …