All posts tagged: Sanctions

Zelenskyy slams oil sanctions relief for Russia

Zelenskyy slams oil sanctions relief for Russia

Published by Sam Flores

DEMOCRATS SLAM “SHAMEFUL” MOVE Zelenskyy has a delicate relationship with Trump, who had a memorable blow-up with him in the Oval Office last year. Ukraine needs US backing to fight off Russia, but has faced pressure from the Trump administration to sign off on a deal to end the more than four-year-old war triggered by Moscow’s invasion. The US sanctions waiver allows for the purchase of Russian oil and petroleum products that have been loaded onto any vessel as of Friday, through 12:01 am local time (0401 GMT) on May 16. It extends an earlier easing of sanctions that expired on April 11. Trump is keen to contain surging petrol prices ahead of key midterm elections this year. Several top Democrats slammed the new sanctions relief however. “This decision is shameful and a 180-degree reversal from Secretary Bessent, just two days after he pledged not to extend sanctions relief for Russia,” said Senators Jeanne Shaheen, Chuck Schumer and Elizabeth Warren in a statement. “Make no mistake, Putin has been one of the biggest beneficiaries of President …

Orbán’s exit leaves Israel exposed in Europe – POLITICO

Orbán’s exit leaves Israel exposed in Europe – POLITICO

Published by Sam Flores

The push to ramp up pressure on Israel is in focus this week as the EU’s chief diplomat Kaja Kallas presides over a meeting of the Global Alliance for a Two-State Solution as well as at a gathering of EU foreign ministers in Luxembourg. Ministers are expected to raise the subject of West Bank sanctions and the Association Agreement — although one EU diplomat from a mid-sized EU country and the EU official quoted above said that countries might avoid moving ahead in deference to peace talks between Israel and Lebanon. Tensions ramp up The push to revisit sanctions comes as EU leaders intensify their criticism of Israel over its actions in Lebanon and over a controversial law, backed by Netanyahu, that authorizes the death penalty for terrorists from the Palestinian territories. Kallas blasted the bill — which comes ahead of Israeli elections due later this year — as a “grave regression,” in a statement issued on behalf of the bloc on March 31. Germany, France and the United Kingdom also warned that the law …

Spain pushes to end EU-Israel association agreement – POLITICO

Spain pushes to end EU-Israel association agreement – POLITICO

Published by Sam Flores

Sánchez has emerged as one of Israel’s most vocal critics in the EU. He accused Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of committing genocide in Gaza and denounced the joint U.S.-Israel strikes against Iran as an “immense error.” Critics claim that Israel’s continued strikes against Lebanon are undermining a peace settlement in the broader region. During his speech in Andalusia, Sánchez called for an immediate end to the war in the Middle East that has led to a surge in global oil prices and mass displacement across the region. The foreign ministers of Spain, Ireland and Slovenia accused Israel of breaching the association agreement with the EU in a letter to the bloc’s top diplomat, Kaja Kallas, on Saturday. They said that the approval of the death penalty by the Israeli parliament and violent action by Israeli settlers in the West Bank are violations of fundamental human rights. Madrid’s proposal to end the association agreement, however, is unlikely to immediately succeed as it requires unanimity among the EU’s 27 member countries. The idea is likely to …

US Sanctions 3 People, 2 Firms Over Allegedly Recruiting Colombian Mercenaries in Sudan War

US Sanctions 3 People, 2 Firms Over Allegedly Recruiting Colombian Mercenaries in Sudan War

Published by Sam Flores

CAIRO (AP) — The U.S. imposed sanctions on three people and two firms over allegedly recruiting and deploying Colombian mercenaries to fight alongside the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces in Sudan’s war, which has entered its fourth year with no end in sight. The sanctions, announced by the Department of Treasury late Friday, were the latest by the United States on the RSF, which have been at war against the Sudanese military since April 2023. The group has been accused by rights groups of atrocities amounting to war crimes and crimes against humanity during the war which created the world’s largest humanitarian crisis. The RSF was born out of feared Arab Janjaweed militias, notorious for atrocities in the early 2000s against people identifying as East or Central African in Sudan’s western region of Darfur. The Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control said the sanctioned individuals and firms were involved in “recruiting and deploying former Colombian military personnel to Sudan to fight on behalf of the RSF.” They include a Bogota, Colombia-based employment agency, Fénix, which was …

Von der Leyen uses Orbán defeat to push for end of veto in EU foreign policy – POLITICO

Von der Leyen uses Orbán defeat to push for end of veto in EU foreign policy – POLITICO

Published by Sam Flores

Any change would be highly controversial, with even some typically pro-EU countries likely to balk at the prospect of losing control of foreign policy and facing the possibility of having to wave through decisions they oppose. The Commission would move quickly to engage with the incoming Hungarian government once it takes office, noting that incoming Prime Minister Péter Magyar had signaled a clear pro-European direction during the campaign. “We can already see that [he] is very clear on the European path … committing the new government to continue working with us,” she said, adding that progress on EU funds and reforms would be a priority because “the Hungarian people deserve it.” Von der Leyen welcomed the outcome of Hungary’s elections, calling it “a day to celebrate” and said the EU was stronger and more united as a result. “The people of Hungary have spoken and they have reclaimed their European task,” she said. “It is a victory for fundamental freedoms.” Orbán, the EU’s most autocratic leader — a close ally of U.S. President Donald Trump and …

Trump threatens Cuba as US sanctions fuel hunger

Trump threatens Cuba as US sanctions fuel hunger

Published by Sam Flores

In Cuba today, food is rotting in the fields while families go hungry. On a recent trip to the eastern part of the island, I spoke with farmers who are watching their livelihoods slip away — not because they lack skill or dedication, but because they lack fuel, parts and basic inputs. One farmer described fields ready to harvest but no diesel to bring the crops in. Others showed me broken machinery they have no way to repair. Even those who have turned to animal traction are having problems with feed. These are not isolated stories; they reflect a system under siege. The U.S. fuel embargo, together with tightened sanctions under Donald Trump‘s administration, is strangling Cuba’s agricultural system from seed to table — making it harder and harder for Cubans to feed themselves. Cuban farmers have already been operating under severe constraints imposed by U.S. sanctions — struggling to obtain spare parts to repair tractors, access fertilizers and pesticides or secure basic inputs like seeds. Machinery breaks down and sits idle for months because …

US, Iran Teams in Pakistan for Peace Talks but Doubts Emerge Over Lebanon, Sanctions

US, Iran Teams in Pakistan for Peace Talks but Doubts Emerge Over Lebanon, Sanctions

Published by Sam Flores

By Ariba Shahid and Asif Shahzad ISLAMABAD, April 11 (Reuters) – Senior U.S. and Iranian leaders were in the Pakistani capital Islamabad on Saturday for negotiations ⁠to ⁠end their six-week-old war, https://www.reuters.com/world/iran/ although Tehran threw the talks into doubt by ⁠saying they could not begin without commitments on Lebanon and sanctions. The U.S. delegation, nL6N40T12G led by Vice President JD Vance and including President Donald Trump’s https://www.reuters.com/world/us/donald-trump/ special envoy Steve Witkoff and ​son-in-law Jared Kushner, landed in two U.S. air force planes at an air base in Islamabad on Saturday morning, Pakistani sources said. The Iranian delegation, led by parliamentary Speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf and Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi, arrived on Friday. These will be the highest-level U.S.-Iran talks since the Islamic ‌Revolution of 1979 and the first official face-to-face negotiations between the two ‌sides since 2015, when the two sides reached a deal on Iran’s nuclear programme.     Trump scrapped the nuclear deal in 2018 during his first term in office. That same year, Iran’s then-Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was killed at …

Ukraine Sanctions Russian Culture Figures Linked to Venice Biennale

Ukraine Sanctions Russian Culture Figures Linked to Venice Biennale

Published by José Betancourt

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy signed a decree on Friday that has imposed sanctions on five Russian cultural figures who are involved with organizing the Russian Pavilion at the 2026 Venice Biennale. The news was first reported by UA News. They include Anastasia Karneeva, who is the commissioner of this year’s Russian Pavilion, and Mikhail Shvydkoy, Russia’s delegate for international cultural exchanges and a former culture minister. In a release about the decree, the Ukrainian government characterized them as “figures who justify the aggression and spread Russian propaganda at international events. All of them are linked to the aggressor state’s participation in the 61st Venice Biennale.”   Related Articles The Venice Biennale said in March that no sanctions had been broken. ARTnews has reached out to the Biennale for comment about these new sanctions. In its March 4 announcement of the national pavilions, the Biennale said that it “rejects any form of exclusion or censorship of culture and art” and that “La Biennale, like the city of Venice, continues to be a place of dialogue, openness, …

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

France to target Russia’s ‘shadow fleet’ with tougher penalties for ships sailing under false flag

France to target Russia’s ‘shadow fleet’ with tougher penalties for ships sailing under false flag

Published by Sam Flores

France is to double penalties for ships that fail to fly a flag or refuse to comply, a draft law showed Wednesday, in what an informed source said was a bid to strengthen measures against Russia’s “shadow fleet”. The move comes as France has, since September, boarded three ships suspected of being part of the fleet transporting Russian oil in violation of Western sanctions over the invasion of Ukraine. Vessels in the “shadow fleet” frequently change the flags they fly, a practice known as flag-hopping, and sometimes sail under invalid flags in an attempt to escape detection and tracking. France will now punish those who fail to fly the correct flag or refuse to comply with orders to stop the ship with up to two years in prison and a fine of €300,000 ($351,000), according to a draft update to France’s military planning law seen by AFP on Wednesday. That would double the current penalties in place, with sanctions applying to any person – such as the owner, operator, or legally responsible individual – who exercises “power of …