Sanciones internacionales

Manifestation d’opposants russes au régime de Vladimir Poutine, à Berlin, le 1ᵉʳ mars 2025. RALF HIRSCHBERGER / AFP

EuropaUnión EuropeaEconomía,

Depuis son retour au pouvoir, le président des Etats-Unis, Donald Trump, redouble d’efforts pour convaincre son homologue russe, Vladimir Poutine, d’accepter un cessez-le-feu en Ukraine. Si un tel accord venait à être conclu, il y a fort à parier qu’il inclurait une levée – partielle ou totale – des sanctions que les Etats-Unis ont imposées contre la Russie depuis 2014. Un tel scénario poserait la question de la pertinence et de l’efficacité de représailles purement européennes à l’encontre de Moscou. De telles mesures seraient probablement plus efficaces qu’il n’y paraît et les Européens ont, avec les sanctions, un atout de choix pour peser dans les négociations sur l’avenir de l’Ukraine.…  Seguir leyendo »

The building housing Euroclear, an international fund depository which manages some Russian assets, in Brussels, Belgium, on March 5. Nicolas Tucat/AFP/Getty Images

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The United States’ shocking turn against Ukraine has finally brought Europe’s previously academic debate on immobilized Russian sovereign assets to the fore. Since Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s humiliation in the Oval Office in late February and U.S. President Donald Trump’s temporary pause on all weapons deliveries to Ukraine, an implicit European taboo on seizing the assets and transferring them to Kyiv has been broken.

Days after the start of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the Group of Seven agreed to block the Russian Central Bank’s access to the $300 billion monetary reserves that it still held in the West—mainly in Europe and Japan.…  Seguir leyendo »

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Even though Russia and Ukraine were engaged in cease-fire talks with American representatives in Saudi Arabia, apparently with some progress on Tuesday, President Vladimir Putin of Russia has shown little actual commitment to ending his war.

President Trump needs some better cards.

Several weeks ago, the president floated the idea of sanctions and tariffs over Russian imports. But the Kremlin has been dismissive — mainly because the United States imports very little from Russia. Extensive financial and trade sanctions have been in place, most of them for around three years, and they are plainly not enough to bring peace.

Fortunately, there is a simple way to improve the American hand.…  Seguir leyendo »

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio speaks during his Senate Foreign Relations confirmation hearing in Washington on January 15. During the hearing Rubio spoke of using sanctions to bring an end to the conflict in Ukraine.

MundoAmérica,

Since his inauguration, most of the world’s attention has focused on President Donald Trump’s professed love of tariffs. But the new administration has said relatively little about its intentions surrounding the use of sanctions.

There have been two notable exceptions: Trump has announced he would impose more sanctions on Russia if it refused to end its ‘ ridiculous war’ in Ukraine. And over the weekend, the president threatened to impose sanctions on Colombia (alongside tariffs) if the country did not accept military deportation flights from the US. (Bogota has since backed down).

For now, Trump’s broader long-term strategy for the use of sanctions remains unclear.…  Seguir leyendo »

Free Syrian Army soldier walking among rubble in Aleppo during the Syrian Civil War. (Photo: Voice of America/Guest2625/Wikimedia Commons, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Free_Syrian_Army_soldier_walking_among_rubble_in_Aleppo.jpg, Public Domain)

MundoOriente Próximo,

The unexpected fall of President Bashar al-Assad and with it the end of the Assad dynasty prompted jubilation from many long-suffering Syrian people, but they face sobering challenges as they try to rebuild their society. A central problem remains the enormous web of overlapping sanctions that countries opposed to the regime and its abuses imposed during the civil war.

The United States has been the primary architect of many of these sanctions. Over the years, the United States and its allies have shown few signs of readiness to make lasting changes to their sanctions regimes, but on Jan. 6, the United States took a promising step by easing some restrictions.…  Seguir leyendo »

Sudanese people celebrate in Meroe in the country's Northern State on January 11, 2025, after the army announced entering Wad Madani, held by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF). (Photo by AFP via Getty Images)

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13 days before the end of its term, the administration of President Joe Biden imposed sanctions on Mohammed ‘Hemedti’ Hamdan Dagalo, leader of the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), one of the factions in Sudan’s civil war. The US Department of Treasury simultaneously sanctioned seven UAE-based companies believed to be funnelling arms, finances, and support to the RSF. This action was coupled with a statement which concluded that the RSF was committing genocide in its strongholds, alongside grave human rights violations.

Just a few days later, the US announced sanctions on Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, the leader of the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF), the other key faction in Sudan’s conflict.…  Seguir leyendo »

Josep Borrell arrives at an extraordinary meeting of EU leaders in Brussels on May 31, 2022. Emmanuel Dunand/AFP/Getty Images

EuropaUnión EuropeaPolítica Exterior

When Russia started to prepare for its 2022 full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Europe unambiguously told Russian President Vladimir Putin that, were he to invade the country, there would be serious consequences. Sanctions have been one of these main consequences: We at the European Union have already adopted 14 sanctions packages against Russia since February 2022.

Putin’s Russia is behaving with a 19th-century style imperialist mindset, threatening its neighbors—most notably in Europe. However, this is not just about an existential threat to Europe’s security. Russia’s blatant violation of the United Nations Charter also threatens global peace.

From energy and food security threats and the violation of the U.N.’s…  Seguir leyendo »

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Mientras Vladímir Putin progresa en la conquista de parte de Ucrania, Rusia continúa reorganizando su economía para continuar con la guerra de agresión.

Rusia ha anunciado ya que aumentará en 2025 su presupuesto de Defensa en un 25%, una cifra récord, hasta los 13,5 billones de rublos (140.000 millones de dólares). Alrededor del 40% del presupuesto estatal.

Ucrania sigue luchando contra los continuos avances rusos, a pesar de la escasez de armas y de hombres. Y por eso la comunidad internacional debería incrementar su contribución a la lucha. La no financiación de la maquinaria bélica rusa ha sido durante mucho tiempo una parte esencial de esa lucha.…  Seguir leyendo »

Vladimir Putin visits Uralvagonzavod, Russia’s main tank factory, 15 February 2024. Photograph: Ramil Sitdikov/AFP/Getty Images

Europa,

President Vladimir Putin and his authoritarian regime are peddling the false narrative that the Russian economy is strong, and that its war machine is unharmed by western sanctions. This is a lie that must be rebutted. In fact, there are many signs that the Russian war economy is deteriorating. The sanctions and other measures to weaken the Russian economy are effective, but even more can be done. We must continue to increase pressure on Putin’s regime and support Ukraine.

During the Nato summit in Washington DC, western leaders reaffirmed their commitment to Ukraine’s defence. But Russia’s war against Ukraine is not only being fought by soldiers on the ground.…  Seguir leyendo »

Demonstrators call for FIFA to expel Israel on May 28, 2015 in Zurich, Switzerland. Fabrice Coffrini/AFP via Getty Images

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FIFA, global soccer’s governing body, is facing growing calls to ban Israel’s teams from international competitions. The Palestinian Football Association has formally demanded action in response to the dire humanitarian situation created by Israel’s nine-month assault on Gaza, the ongoing disruption of Palestinian soccer imposed by Israel’s occupation of Palestinian territory, and the fact that teams from Israel’s illegal West Bank settlements play in its domestic leagues in violation of FIFA rules. The international body has long evaded efforts within its councils to sanction Israel, but the pressure of disruptive protest action in and around the world’s football stadiums could force a change.…  Seguir leyendo »

El argumento económico para decomisar los activos congelados de Rusia y así apoyar a Ucrania

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Si Ucrania va a derrotar a Rusia y a reconstruirse después de la guerra, necesitará enormes sumas de dinero, que probablemente excedan lo que los electorados y los políticos occidentales quieren o pueden ofrecer. La buena noticia es que ya existe un pozo gigantesco de dinero no occidental al que se puede recurrir: los 300.000 millones de dólares de activos soberanos rusos congelados en jurisdicciones occidentales. La mala noticia, sin embargo, es que los países occidentales no han podido ponerse de acuerdo sobre un plan de acción compartido para hacer uso de estos activos.

Las reservas rusas congeladas podrían inclinar la balanza de la guerra a favor de Ucrania y reducir sustancialmente la carga financiera que recae sobre los contribuyentes occidentales.…  Seguir leyendo »

Ukrainian soldiers prepare for combat on May 18 in the Kharkiv region where Russian soldiers have gained ground. (Kostiantyn Liberov/Libkos/Getty Images)

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Ukraine’s allies, including the United States, met Russia’s invasion two years ago with an unprecedented outpouring of sanctions. They put a price cap on Russian oil exports, froze $300 billion worth of Russian foreign exchange reserves, and severed many of the links between Russia’s financial institutions and the rest of the world.

In congressional testimony on the first anniversary of the invasion, Daleep Singh, a former White House deputy national security adviser, said the restrictions were designed to maximize the costs imposed on Russian President Vladimir Putin, degrade his ability to project power on the world stage and show other autocracies (China, perhaps) that redrawing borders by force would be punished.…  Seguir leyendo »

Buque rompehielos ruso en la ruta marítima del Polo Norte. Foto: Dmitrii Tropinin (@dtropinin)

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En la decimocuarta ronda de sanciones sobre Rusia, la Unión Europea (UE) estudia incluir una prohibición de los transbordos de gas natural licuado (GNL) ruso en los puertos europeos. La medida pretende dificultar la logística de las exportaciones de gas ruso desde el Ártico, que necesita durante los meses de invierno emplear buques metaneros rompehielos. Estos buques, escasos por sus elevados costes de producción, mantenimiento y de operación, entregan el GNL que transportan en puertos europeos para que sean posteriormente transportados por buques metaneros convencionales al mercado asiático, especialmente China. Las sanciones, por tanto, no reducen los volúmenes de gas natural suministrado a la UE y no deberían tener un impacto sustancial en los precios de referencia europeos.…  Seguir leyendo »

El presidente de Rusia, Vladímir Putin, preside el desfile del Día de la Victoria, el 9 de mayo en Moscú.MAXIM BLINOV/POOL (via REUTERS)

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Usar el dinero de Rusia para pagar las entregas de armas occidentales a Ucrania parece una idea inteligente. ¿O tal vez demasiado inteligente?

El Grupo de los Siete países industrializados tiene intención de incautar las reservas de divisas de Rusia, que ascienden a unos 280.000 millones de dólares. De ellos, 210.000 millones están depositados en Euroclear, una entidad depositaria con sede en Bélgica.

Después de que Rusia invadiera Ucrania, la respuesta inmediata de Occidente fue congelar el dinero para privar a Rusia de los medios financieros para financiar la guerra. Ahora los aliados occidentales quieren dar un paso más y apoderarse de los activos.…  Seguir leyendo »

El dictador norcoreano Kim Jong-un, durante unos ejercicios militares. EFE

MundoAsia, ,

Durante los últimos días, el vigor de las sanciones impuestas por la comunidad internacional para conseguir la desnuclearización de Corea del Norte ha disminuido.

Los principales culpables de esta disminución son China y Rusia, dos miembros permanentes del Consejo de Seguridad de las Naciones Unidas.

El problema también deriva del hecho de que 62 de los 192 estados miembros de la ONU nunca presentaron informes nacionales de implementación de las sanciones contra Corea del Norte hasta 2022.

China y Rusia se han comprometido secretamente con Corea del Norte. Ambos países instigaron las ambiciones del programa nuclear de Kim Jong-un, lo que le permitió a Corea del Norte desarrollar con éxito misiles balísticos intercontinentales (ICBM, según sus siglas en inglés) y satélites de reconocimiento.…  Seguir leyendo »

A woman looks at a board showing the rates of dollars and euros against the ruble in Moscow. (Photo by Contributor/Getty Images)

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Russia’s attack on Ukraine in February 2022 contravened the most important principles of the UN charter. The G7 must continue giving strong economic, political, and military support to Ukraine, enabling it to defend itself. This benefits the Ukrainian people and is critical to the long-term security of G7 countries themselves.

But confiscating $300 billion of sanctioned Russian state assets to help pay for this support is a more complex question. It is not certain that the benefits to the G7 will outweigh the costs it will bear. Financing support for Ukraine through normal public expenditure, at least for the time being, is likely to be the better option.…  Seguir leyendo »

Ukrainians demonstrate in front of the Belgium-based financial services company Euroclear to advocate seizure of frozen assets of the Central Bank of the Russian Federation on April 11, 2024 (Photo by Thierry Monasse/Getty Images)

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It seems odd, considering the scale of destruction caused by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, that seizing Russian money immobilized in Western clearing houses is as hotly debated as it is.

The costs of Ukrainian reconstruction are difficult to agree. $1 trillion is sometimes stated. A more conservative estimate would be around half that – $500 billion.

But before reconstruction can even begin, Ukraine needs to finance its war effort – costing around $50 billion per year – and maintain its day-to-day economy.

In other words, Russian state assets, if repurposed, could cover the costs of five years of war, or three-fifths of the conservatively estimated reconstruction costs.…  Seguir leyendo »

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Les contrôles à l’exportation sont un élément essentiel du régime de sanctions contre la Russie. Ils visent à limiter l’importation de biens essentiels à la guerre et à nuire ainsi à l’industrie militaire russe. Des recherches, notamment de la Kyiv School of Economics, ainsi que des rapports des médias ont montré à plusieurs reprises que l’application de ces restrictions se heurte à de gros problèmes dans la pratique.

En 2023, la Russie a importé pour 12,5 milliards de dollars de produits considérés par l’Union européenne, les Etats-Unis et leurs partenaires comme particulièrement importants pour l’effort de guerre russe. Il s’agit notamment de microélectronique et d’équipements de communication, mais aussi de machines pour la fabrication d’armes et de munitions.…  Seguir leyendo »

El presidente Nicolás Maduro tras inscribirse como candidato a las elecciones presidenciales de Venezuela. Adriana Loureiro Fernandez para The New York Times

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Cuando el gobierno del presidente de Venezuela, Nicolás Maduro, y la oposición de su país firmaron un acuerdo en octubre para trabajar para realizar elecciones libres y justas este año, fue visto como un rayo de esperanza después de años de gobierno autoritario y caída libre económica.

Estados Unidos, como señal de buena voluntad, retiró temporalmente algunas de las sanciones económicas que han paralizado la crucial industria petrolera del país.

Pero seis meses después, el gobierno de Maduro ha tomado varias medidas que han mermado las posibilidades de unas elecciones legítimas, y un frustrado gobierno de Joe Biden anunció el miércoles que iba a reinstalar las sanciones.…  Seguir leyendo »

Los venezolanos están sufriendo, pero más sanciones tampoco los van a ayudar

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El presidente de Venezuela, Nicolás Maduro, ni siquiera se molesta ya en fingir que juega limpio. En octubre, prometió dar pasos para celebrar unas elecciones libres, incluido el de permitir a la oposición elegir a su propio candidato mediante un proceso de primarias, con el levantamiento de algunas de las sanciones estadounidenses como incentivo. Pero casi acto seguido su gobierno mantuvo la prohibición de ejercer cargos públicos impuesta a María Corina Machado, la ganadora clara de dichas primarias. Después arrestó a sus aliados y a sus colaboradores de campaña, acusándolos de conspirar contra el gobierno. Algunos han solicitado asilo a la embajada argentina.…  Seguir leyendo »