Eastern Europe Archives

U.S. Treasury Assesses Impact Of Sanctions On Russia

17Oct

By Patti MohrNo Comments

Arms Sales, Military Industry, Eastern Europe, Sanctions

U.S. Treasury Assesses Impact Of Sanctions On Russia

U.S. Government Warns About Secondary Sanctions To People Or Entities Supporting Russia's War October 17, 2022—As Russia has waged war against Ukraine and Ukraine fought back, Western governments have carefully weighed in on the battle through the global financial system. It's a powerful economic coalition that comprises 37 countries. The U.S. government alone issued roughly 1,500 new sanctions and amended 750 more. They target Russia's defense industrial base, the aerospace sector, the microelectronic industry, financial institutions, elites and oligarchs, luxury goods, and oil refining. The sanctions are having an impact on the Russian economy. But is it enough to have an impact strong enough to end the war? Impact of Sanctions On Friday, the U.S. Treasury Department rele...

NATO Reaffirms Support For Ukraine, Strengthens Air Defense

13Oct

By Patti MohrNo Comments

Arms Sales, Military Industry, Eastern Europe, Geopolitics, Organizations, IMF, WTO, G7, UN Security Council, Types of News: Brief

NATO Reaffirms Support For Ukraine, Strengthens Air Defense

Photo by Kongsberg October 13, 2022—As NATO ministers met in Brussels yesterday and today, Russia's bombardment of Ukraine's capital and nine other cities was fresh on their minds. The war intensified, and NATO and the G7 nations of Western countries strengthened their support for Ukraine. Ukraine has asked the military alliance of 30 countries to fast track its request for membership. Russian President Vladimir Putin warned that would lead to World War II. And many NATO-member leaders took heed. "We do not want world war," French President Emmanuel Macron said on Twitter. Germany, meanwhile, is leading the effort to strengthen Europe's military defense. Air Defense System While NATO treads lightly on expansion. Today, 14 NATO members agreed to jointly develop an air de...

EU Agrees To A Partial Ban On Russian Oil

31May

By Patti MohrNo Comments

Eastern Europe, Energy Policy, Oil & Gas, Europe, EU, Eurozone, and United Kingdom, Sanctions

EU Agrees To A Partial Ban On Russian Oil

European Council Plans To Accelerate Transition To Alternative Energy May 31, 2022-The 27 heads of government of the European Union agreed today to reduce its dependence on Russian fossil fuels and to accelerate a transition to alternative sources of energy. The decision sets the EU on a course to ban up 90 percent of Russian oil imports by the end of the year. It is part of the sixth round of sanctions against Russia and Belarus in response to Russia's war against Ukraine. "The European Council is committed to intensify pressure on Russia and Belarus to thwart Russia’s war against Ukraine," the Council said in an 11-page document. "The European Council calls on all countries to align with EU sanctions. Any attempts to circumvent sanctions or to aid Russia by other means must be s...

UN Boots Russia Out Of Human Rights Council

10Apr

By Jacob DavenportNo Comments

Diplomacy and International Law, Eastern Europe, Human rights, Types of News: Brief

UN Boots Russia Out Of Human Rights Council

UN General Assembly on April 7, 2022 April 10, 2022--This week, the UN General Assembly by a two-thirds majority put forth a resolution to suspend Russia from the UN Human Rights Council. With a vote of 93 for-to-24 against with 58 countries abstaining, the resolution passed. Some of the countries that voted to remove Russia included Ukraine, France, the United States, the United Kingdom, and Norway. China, Cuba, and Iran joined the countries siding with Russia. Meanwhile, India, Brazil, South Africa, Pakistan, and Singapore were among the 58 countries that abstained from the vote. It was April 7th, and it was the anniversary of the 1994 genocide. Mass Atrocities in Ukraine One of the main factors influencing the special session of the General Assembly was multiple reports...

25Mar

By Patti MohrNo Comments

Corruption, Bribes, Illicit Finance & Money Laundering, Eastern Europe, Human rights, Types of News: Videos

PROFILE: Alexey Navalny, Kremlin-Critic And Founder Of Anti-Corruption Foundation

Alexey Navalny is the founder of the Anti-Corruption Foundation. 'Corruption Kills,' Says Navalny Pointing to Russia's Bombing Campaigns On Ukrainian Cities March 25, 2022--Alexey Navalny is the founder of the Anti-Corruption Foundation. Now based in New York, the ACF conducts investigations into corruption and produces documentaries about oligarchs' wealth. He's been poisoned and jailed by the Russian government. Navalny is serving a sentence on charges the rest of the world recognizes as politically motivated by the Kremlin. Ironically, the Russian government's actions only shed more light on the state's corruption and repression of civil liberties. Russian Chemical Weapons In 2020, Navalny survived a nerve agent attack linked to the Russian Federal Security Service. As a...

In Contrast To NATO, Moscow-Based CSTO Is Silent On Ukraine

24Mar

By Patti MohrNo Comments

Eastern Europe, Geopolitics, Organizations, IMF, WTO, G7, UN Security Council

In Contrast To NATO, Moscow-Based CSTO Is Silent On Ukraine

File photo: CSTO meeting 2020 March 24, 2022--The Russia-dominated military alliance known as the Collective Security Treaty Organization is keeping silent on the Ukraine crisis, including Russia's invasion and the humanitarian outflow of refugees. That stands in contrast to the 30 member NATO alliance, which issued a statement today in reaction to Russia's war in Ukraine. March Meeting on Crisis Response Meeting this month virtually, the Moscow-based CSTO staff discussed crisis-response initiatives with military representatives from its member states. Members include Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, and Tajikistan. According to a March 24 news statement about the meeting, the representatives discussed the "military and political situation in the world and ...

Europe Shores Up Its Defence, Sets Up Security Plan

23Mar

By Patti MohrNo Comments

Eastern Europe, Europe, EU, Eurozone, and United Kingdom, Geopolitics, Types of News: Brief

Europe Shores Up Its Defence, Sets Up Security Plan

NATO Also To Strengthen Its Defense Capabilities In Europe And Perhaps Beyond March 23, 2022--This week political leaders are meeting on two tracks to build up security in Europe: in the NATO Alliance and in the European Council. Josep Borrell speaks ahead of European Council March 21, 2022 meeting. Even before Russia invaded Ukraine, European countries started plans to shore up their own defenses. It started in 2017 with talks of a voluntary defense arrangement among EU countries. Over time, it grew in. ambitions. After Afghanistan fell to the Taliban in August, European leaders began talking about strengthening their own defense capabilities and building stronger autonomy in foreign policy. That led to the culmination of the Strategic Compass. It is a forward-looking defense ...

Russia, Ukraine Foreign Ministers Talk In Turkey

10Mar

By Patti MohrNo Comments

Diplomacy and International Law, Eastern Europe, Types of News: Analysis

Russia, Ukraine Foreign Ministers Talk In Turkey

March 10, 2022--It was a valiant effort by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdo?an to host diplomatic talks between Russia and Ukraine today. After all, it's the 15th day of Russia's brutal war against Ukraine and its citizens with no end in sight. The table was already set for meetings as Turkey was hosting a diplomacy forum in Antalya. So the mood for some kind of breakthrough in peace talks or at least a ceasefire for humanitarian relief seemed possible. But that did not happen when Russian and Ukrainian Foreign Ministers Sergei Lavrov and Dmytro Kuleba faced one another across a large U-shaped table. That was the extent of the progress. No Breakthroughs Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said Turkey is encouraging the ongoing process taking place in Belarus. He e...

Council Of Inquiry Launched On Russia’s War Against Ukraine

7Mar

By Patti MohrNo Comments

Eastern Europe, Human rights, Legal Battles, International Law, Justice, Organizations, IMF, WTO, G7, UN Security Council, Types of News: Brief

Council Of Inquiry Launched On Russia’s War Against Ukraine

The UNHRC established a Commission of Inquiry on Russia's war on March 4, 2022. UN Human Rights Council Votes 32-2 On Resolution (Full Text) March 7, 2022—While wars may seemingly be created overnight, as in the case of Russia's aggression against its neighbor, no-fly zones and official state support for the territory violated are not. It is too soon to predict where this is heading. Even as Western leaders rule out the involvement of the NATO alliance, they and the rest of most of the world are carefully trodding towards confronting Vladimir Putin and the Russian government. Moral And Legal Support Mounts Moral support for Ukraine continues to grow, and an accumulation of legal and diplomatic is mounting. On March 4, the UN Human Rights Council passed a resolution condemni...

Looking At The Economic Effects Of Russia’s War

7Mar

By Patti MohrNo Comments

Eastern Europe, Energy Policy, Oil & Gas, Global Economics, WAR: Dispatches & Dialogue

Looking At The Economic Effects Of Russia’s War

Energy Price Spikes Lead Economic Impact Of War March 7, 2022—By far, the greatest cost of Russia's war against Ukraine is the humanitarian costs: the lives lost, the forced displacement, and the psychological trauma. As the world faces down Russia's aggression, we also need to recognize and prepare for the economic effects. The battle and emerging breakdown of global trade are also having an economic impact, and it is helpful for individuals to brace themselves for that. "The near-term effects on the U.S. economy of the invasion of Ukraine, the ongoing war, the sanctions, and of events to come, remain highly uncertain," Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell said recently. "We will need to be nimble in responding to incoming data and the evolving outlook."-House Financial Service...