On 22 October 2018, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a decree calling for countersanctions against Ukraine and instructing the Russian Government to draw up a list of companies and individuals that will be subject to economic restrictions under the new measures and also a list of the respective restrictions.
On 18 July 2018, the Official Journal published Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2018/1013 of 17 July 2018 imposing provisional safeguard measures with regard to imports of certain steel products. On 26 March 2018, the Commission published a Notice of Initiation of a safeguard investigation concerning imports of 26 steel product categories (2018/C 111/10) in the Official Journal. The Commission decided to initiate the investigation in the light of sufficient evidence that imports of those products might cause or threaten to cause serious injury to the Union producers concerned. On 28 June, the investigation was extended to two additional product categories. There was also a high risk of further increase of imports resulting from trade diversion due to the measures against imports of steel adopted by the United States under Section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act of 1962 (‘Section 232’). The 28 product categories (‘the product concerned’ or the ‘product categories concerned’) are all covered by the steel surveillance mechanism introduced by the Commission in May 2016. They are also subject to the US tariff measures under Section 232.
On 14 May 2018, the President of Ukraine enacted a decision of the Ukrainian National Security and Defense Council (the “NSDC“) imposing new and extending existing sanctions against certain Russian companies and individuals (the “Decision“). [Decree of the President of Ukraine No. 126/2018 dated 14 May 2018 enacting the NSDC’s Resolution dated 2 May 2018 “On Imposition and Cancellation of Personal Special Economic and Other Restrictive Measures (Sanctions)”.]
CSMS #18-000320 of May 3, 2018 announced that in accordance with Presidential Proclamation 9687 of December 22, 2017, (82 Fed. Reg. 61413, December 27, 2017), articles of Ukraine listed in Annex III of the Proclamation and entered or withdrawn from warehouse on or after April 26, 2018 have had their GSP eligibility suspended, and should not be entered with the benefit of the Generalized System of Preferences (GSP) benefits.
On March 5, 2018, the Federal Register published one year extensions to the following national emergencies because actions and policies addressed in the Executive Orders (EO) in which they were original declared or modified continue to pose an unusual and extraordinary threat to the national security and foreign policy of the United States.
On December 27, 2017, the Federal Register published Proclamation 9687 of December 22, 2017 – To Take Certain Actions Under the African Growth and Opportunity Act and for Other Purposes. The Proclamation:
The EU has introduced Council Implementing Regulation (EU) 2017/1549 and Council Decision (CFSP) 2017/1561, which amend the sanctions in respect of actions undermining or threatening the territorial integrity, sovereignty and independence of Ukraine (Regulation (EU) No 269/2014).
The European Union has imposed sanctions on three Russian individuals, including Deputy Energy Minister Andrey Cherezov, and three Russian companies, including two of Siemens’ contracting companies, in response to the delivery of Siemens’ gas turbines to Crimea in violation of EU sanctions.
On 14 July 2017, the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) announced that it was inviting members of the public to comment on a review of Australia’s autonomous sanctions imposed on 63 individuals and 21 entities in response to Russia’s ongoing threat to the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine.
The European Council has unanimously agreed to extend economic sanctions targeting the Russian economy by 6 months, until 31 January 2018. The extension is a result of the failure to fully implement the Minsk Agreements.