Ukraine: new US sanctions on companies that help Russia and China
The US State Department has announced a new wave of sanctions against Russian and foreign companies and individuals believed to be responsible for participating in the Russian war effort to invade Ukraine. In addition to Russian companies in the defense sector, the sanctions concern around sixty foreign companies and individuals, in particular Chinese, accused of having “helped Russia acquire key components for the production of weapons or defense programs”, we read in a note .
Today’s sanctions are designed to disrupt and further weaken Russia’s war effort by attacking its core military industry and the networks that help it evade existing sanctions,” US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said in the statement. Sixteen of the foreign companies targeted are Chinese or Hong Kong-based, most of which are accused of helping Russia procure normally banned components, but also, in the case of two of them, of providing the materials needed for production. of ammunition. The sanctions concern companies from five other countries: United Arab Emirates, Turkey and Azerbaijan, as well as Belgium and Slovakia, two member states of the European Union. Around a hundred Russian companies, among the more than 200 targeted. they operate specifically in the defense, transportation and technology sectors. Several companies are involved in Russia’s chemical and biological weapons programs. Finally, the sanctions aim to limit the development of Russian oil and gas infrastructure, at a time which Moscow is trying to develop those that would allow it to more easily export its hydrocarbons, particularly to China. These exports are currently made via tankers or liquefied natural gas, due to the lack of sufficient oil and gas pipelines to the east. The sanctions, which also involve the US Department of State, include the freezing of the assets of affected companies or individuals present in the United States and the prohibition of US entities or citizens from doing business with the targets of the sanctions. The affected persons are also prohibited from entering the United States.
