“We constantly ask for sanctions against the Russian nuclear industry,” the official said, granted anonymity to speak frankly about the sensitive row. Slovakian Prime Minister Robert “Fico is among those who block those sanctions … and is one of the key blockers of [Ukraine’s] bid to join NATO, too.” Fico, who along with Hungarian Prime … Read more
Thrusting Kavelashvili — who has no higher eduction and is anti-Western despite his soccer carreer there — into the presidency “was a farce,” Lithuanian MEP Rasa Juknevičienė said on X. She visited Georgia this Thursday with a delegation from the European Parliament. “Just like in Russia, Belarus, and other autocracies.” Local media report that demonstrators … Read more
Serbian oil company Naftna Industrija Srbije (NIS) faces financial sanctions from the United States as soon as next month because of its Russian ownership, Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić said late Friday. The U.K. and the EU would likely follow the U.S. in introducing sanctions against the company, Vučić said in an interview with Serbian broadcaster Informer … Read more
The rest of the package focuses mostly on sanctioning companies and vessels involved in circumventing existing EU penalties on Russia. A draft list seen by POLITICO shows plans to more than double the number of oil and gas tankers on its blacklist, bringing the total to 75. Yet talks fell apart, two of the diplomats said, after … Read more
“We must not lose anyone in this region — neither Georgia, nor Moldova, nor Ukraine. We must stand united in defending ourselves against Moscow,” he said. The sanctions also target State Security Service head Grigol Liluashvili and Tbilisi `Mayor Kakha Khaladze, a former Dynamo Kyiv football player. Several lawmakers and businessmen affiliated with Georgian Dream … Read more
China’s far west region of Xinjiang is seeking closer ties and cross-border cooperation with Pakistan and Central Asian countries in a bid to counter US sanctions and consolidate its role as a gateway under the Belt and Road Initiative. Khunjerab port – the sole border crossing connecting China and Pakistan – in Xinjiang Uygur autonomous … Read more
A string of top officials including the Georgian ambassadors to Italy, the Netherlands and Lithuania have resigned in protest at the move, as well as Deputy Foreign Minister Temur Janjali. “What we see is this resistance has really gone beyond previous public demonstrations,” said Tinatin Akhvlediani, a senior researcher with the EU foreign policy unit … Read more
The US on Tuesday imposed sanctions on six senior Hamas officials, the US Treasury Department said, in further action against the terrorist organization as Washington has sought to achieve a ceasefire and the release of hostages in Gaza. The Treasury Department said in a statement the sanctions targeted the group’s representatives abroad, a senior … Read more
Many Georgians viewed the vote as a pivotal referendum on the country’s effort to join the EU. Granted candidate status last year, Georgia saw its EU accession process halted over the summer after ruling party Georgian Dream passed a slew of Russian-style legislation targeting Western-backed NGOs and cracking down on LGBTQ+ rights. EU foreign ministers will … Read more
“If we finally confirm there is a transfer of drones [from China to Russia], then that will have consequences,” added the official, who declined to spell out what those consequences could be. The comments, which come more than a month after Reuters first reported on the drone factory, hint at a hardening stance toward China … Read more
