U.S., EU Prepare New Sanctions on Russia |
The United States
is planning new sanctions (AP) on the Russian government’s revenue sources and defense industrial base in response to the death of opposition leader Alexei Navalny last week, White House National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said yesterday. Meanwhile, European Union (EU) leaders reached a deal today on its next sanctions package on Russia over its war in Ukraine. The measures will for the first time target entities in mainland China and India, the Financial Times reported.
The plans for new Western sanctions come as the second anniversary of Russia’s invasion approaches on Saturday, and as Ukrainian forces calibrate next steps after withdrawing from the city of Avdiivka. Hundreds of Ukrainian troops are feared to be captured or missing after the pullback, unnamed Western officials and Ukrainian troops told the New York Times.
The Russian seizure of Avdiivka is seen as a significant symbolic loss for Ukraine and underscores the effect of faltering Western aid for Ukrainian defense efforts.
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“The inclusion of Chinese and Indian companies comes as the EU and its [Group of Seven] partners
attempt to crack down on Russia’s use of third countries and transit routes to evade existing sanctions designed to hamper its war economy,” the Financial Times’ Andy Bounds and Henry Foy write.
“Sanctions are always in the quiver
,” CFR expert Charles A. Kupchan said at this Media Briefing. “What will make a big difference is military and economic assistance to Ukraine, full stop.”
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Japan Summons South Korean Ambassador Over Forced Labor Dispute |
Tokyo protested (Bloomberg)
in response to Japanese company funds being used as compensation regarding forced labor in the early twentieth century, when Japan colonized the Korean Peninsula. Japan said they had already compensated and that the latest payment violated a treaty, while South Korea said individual workers were still due payouts.
China/Turkey: Turkish authorities detained (Al-Monitor) six people in Istanbul yesterday on charges of collecting information on members of the Uyghur community and passing the information to Chinese intelligence services, Turkish state media Anadolu reported. Ties between China and Turkey had been improving after Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s reelection last May.
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Pakistan’s Major Establishment Parties Announce Official Coalition Deal |
Shehbaz Sharif of the army-backed Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz party will be (AFP) as prime minister and the Pakistan People’s Party’s Asif Ali Zardari will be president as part of the deal. It followed a general election earlier this month in which independents aligned with former Prime Minister Imran Khan received more votes than either of those two parties. For the Asia Unbound blog, CFR expert Joshua Kurlantzick unpacks Pakistan’s postelection coalition.
Bangladesh/Myanmar:
Bangladesh’s government is resisting requests to accept Rohingya people who are fleeing conflict in Myanmar and waiting along the countries’ shared border, Nikkei reports
. A UN representative reportedly asked Bangladesh to accept some nine hundred people last week on humanitarian concerns, but the country says it already hosts more than one million Rohingya refugees and cannot accept more.
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Middle East and North Africa |
Iran Accuses Israel of Attack on Gas Pipeline |
Iran’s oil minister accused (AP) Israel today of causing explosions last week on an Iranian natural gas pipeline. Israel did not immediately comment on the matter. The explosions come as Iran blames Israel for attacks on its nuclear program and further raise tensions between Israel and Iran-backed groups in the wider Middle East.
Saudi Arabia:
Riyadh plans to sell 1 percent of its state oil company, the Saudi Arabian Oil Group, known as Aramco, to finance the country’s expensive development megaprojects, the Wall Street Journal reports. It has also increased its government borrowing in recent years, up from a period of running low deficits.
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South Africa Sets May 29 as Election Date |
The ruling African National Congress has won every election in the country in its thirty years of democracy following the end of apartheid, but polls suggest it could earn (AP) less than 50 percent of this year’s vote and be forced to govern in a coalition. Opposition parties celebrated (News24) the announcement of the election date.
DRC: Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) Prime Minister Jean-Michel Sama Lukonde resigned (East African)
yesterday and triggered the dissolution of his government, an official dispatch said. President Félix Tshisekedi asked Lukonde to remain as a caretaker leader in a limited capacity as he forms a new government for his second term.
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Poland, Ukraine Hold Emergency Talks Over Farmer Protests |
Polish farmers have been blockading (FT)
border crossings with thousands of trucks as part of a dispute over government import tax policies and environmental policies. Kyiv has called on Warsaw to control the demonstrations, while Warsaw has urged Kyiv to use today’s talks to offer assurances that Ukrainian grain exports do not harm Poland’s agricultural market. |
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FT: China Ups Shipping of U.S-Bound Goods Through Mexico, Circumventing Tariffs |
The number of twenty-foot containers shipped from China to Mexico during the first three quarters of 2023 was around 28 percent higher than during the same period in the previous year, the Financial Times reported
. Meanwhile, Mexico overtook China last year as the top exporter of goods to the United States. Some Chinese goods flowing through Mexico appear to be escaping higher U.S. tariffs on China; U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai told the U.S. Congress last month to work to address unintended openings for Chinese firms.
In this In Brief, CFR expert Brad W. Setser explains why U.S. imports from Mexico surpassed those from China.
Brazil: Foreign ministers from Group of Twenty countries begin (Reuters) a two-day meeting in Rio de Janeiro today that is expected to focus on reforming multilateral institutions and the wars in the Gaza Strip and Ukraine in advance of the annual leaders’ summit later this year.
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White House Begins Notifications for $1.2 Billion of Student Loan Forgiveness |
More than 150,000 borrowers who are enrolled in a government income-driven repayment program will be affected (WaPo) by the current round of loan relief. Notifications were originally scheduled for July but were accelerated to begin today.
This Backgrounder looks at how student debt affects the U.S. economy.
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Council on Foreign Relations |
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