As a Russia sanctions bill appears to have more momentum (see 2511170041), Democratic senators declined to say what tariff levels would be effective or appropriate if it becomes law.
The Office of Foreign Assets Control and the U.K.'s Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation this week sanctioned Media Land, a Russia-based hosting service provider, for supporting ransomware operations and other cybercrimes. The two countries also sanctioned Media Land employees and associates Aleksandr Volosovik, Kirill Zatolokin and Yulia Pankova and a Media Land sister company, ML.Cloud.
A potential buyer of Russian energy firm Lukoil's international business will need to obtain a separate authorization from the Office of Foreign Assets Control -- aside from the agency's existing general license for the firm -- to complete the sale, OFAC said in a new FAQ this week.
Banks and logistics providers are more frequently asking exporters about their compliance programs to certify that the goods they’re helping to move don’t violate any trade laws, said Eva Lakova, a director for sanctions and export controls with PricewaterhouseCoopers.
The U.S. government’s “economic statecraft” tools, including export controls and sanctions, are “fragmented” across multiple agencies, and Congress should consider consolidating them into a single entity to increase coordination, focus and accountability, the congressionally mandated U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission said in its new 2025 annual report.
Congress will move toward a vote on a bill that gives the president the authority to hike tariffs on goods from countries that buy Russian energy, and directs him to prohibit banking transactions and foreign exchange transactions for Russian companies doing business with companies or banks in other countries.
U.S. and multilateral sanctions and export controls imposed on Russia, Iran and North Korea have had only a limited effect due to China’s role in helping those countries evade the restrictions, the congressionally mandated U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission said in a report released Nov. 14.
The Trump administration has given Hungary a one-year exemption from sanctions that it recently imposed on two major Russian energy companies, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said late Nov. 12.
The Bureau of Industry and Security again renewed a temporary denial order on Russia's Rossiya Airlines, saying the company has continued to illegally operate planes in violation of U.S. export controls, including on flights between Russia and Uzebekistan and Russia and Egypt, as well as domestically within Russia. The agency renewed the denial order for one year from Nov. 4. BIS first suspended the export privileges of the airline in May 2022 (see 2205200008) and has renewed the order multiple times. The order blocks Rossiya from participating in transactions subject to the Export Administration Regulations.
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