... discussed at length domestically, it never translated into a real project (unlike in the case of Uzbekistan that became an observer at the EAEU). Until recently, Tajikistan was the only country in the CIS where such a scenario was a possibility. However, sanctions pressure on Russia and Belarus, the two leaders of the Eurasian integration, is most likely to take discussions of the integration scenario outside of Tajikistan’s official discourse, and the country’s authorities will focus on bolstering its bilateral ties with ...
... COVID restrictions,
resumed issuing
all types of visas to Russians already after February 24, 2022.
Since the EU has a common visa space, unilateral restrictions on visas imposed by some states will not facilitate the desired effect of the EU’s anti-Russian sanctions. Therefore, by the end of summer, proponents of greater sanctions pressure on Russia were seen discussing an EU-wide ban on issuing Schengen visas to Russian nationals.
Predictably, Moscow took a very negative view of this idea, while the
European ...
... a peace agreement. There will be no return to "pre-February normality". Instead of remembering a lost past, we will have to focus on creating a new future in which Western sanctions remain a constant variable.
Why is the lifting of Western sanctions on Russia extremely unlikely? There are several reasons.
Ivan Timofeev:
The Policy of Sanctions and the Golden Horde Legacy
The first reason is the complexity of the conflict between Ukraine and Russia. It has every chance of being prolonged for a long ...
... necessary to be ready for a scenario where the property of individuals and structures in the EU is confiscated, as well as their criminal prosecution in certain EU countries for violating sanctions legislation
The seventh package of the European Union sanctions against Russia in connection with the events in Ukraine will be remembered for its ban on the import of Russian gold, the expansion of export controls, as well as its list of blocked individuals and organisations. However, an important new feature hasn’t been ...
... this, Ankara will clearly want to continue dialogue with Moscow, both with regard to Syria and on other issues.
A somewhat similar situation has been the case for the Arab countries in the Persian Gulf. Not a single one of these has joined the Western sanctions against Russia, and the United Arab Emirates is turning into something of a hub for Russian capital. Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has made it clear that his country places its agreements with OPEC+, where Russia is a key player, above U.S. interests,...
... impose an embargo on the export of Russian grain, fertilizers or agricultural products. However, a number of Russian agribusiness assets have been hit by blocking sanctions. Fearing secondary sanctions and fines amid large-scale financial and economic sanctions against Russia in the wake of the outbreak of the military conflict in Ukraine, foreign banks have refused to conduct transactions involving export deals for Russian suppliers. For similar reasons, shipping companies have refused to ship Russian products. Combined ...
... ability to deliver staff and equipment to Syria but Russia might seek to get things back to normal;
Moscow might seek the U.S. to turn a blind eye on Damascus re-establishing economic and business ties with the northeastern Syria exempted from the U.S. sanctions;
Russia is always pushing for the lift of unilateral sanctions on Syria;
Moscow might be interested in establishing a similar mechanism for Ukraine – delivering UN humanitarian aid to eastern Ukraine from Russia. Given the humanitarian needs there, ...
... Russia after the outbreak of the Russia–Ukraine conflict have opened more opportunities for developing China–Russia economic cooperation. On the other hand, they have created severe restrictions and risks for Beijing. Given American and European anti-Russian sanctions, Beijing-Moscow cooperation may result in secondary sanctions against Chinese financial institutions and companies, which would limit their subsequent global operations, including their activities in America and Europe. It will also raise questions ...
... interstate ties and the interests of states often outweigh supranational ones. At the same time, integration cooperation made it possible for the member states to somewhat harmonize and coordinate their joint response to the pandemic. Sweeping anti-Russian sanctions have created new, unprecedented risks for integration cooperation, but at the same time have opened up certain opportunities to overcome their consequences.
Integration Dialectic
The COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated dialectical contradictions ...
...
The crisis in Russia-West relations amid hostilities in Ukraine was bound to come to the surface in the Baltic region sooner or later. One of the factors that made it inevitable was transport connectivity between the Kaliningrad Region and the rest of Russia. The EU sanctions imposed on Russia in the wake of the special military operation further aggravated the situation. The Russian authorities said Lithuania had banned transit of a wide range of Russian cargoes, which is a high-profile political development. Most ...
