The United States, the United Kingdom, and the European Union are pressuring the United Arab Emirates to show that they are cracking down on companies that evade sanctions imposed on Russia over the war in Ukraine. Reuters writes about this with reference to three sources familiar with the situation, UNN reports.
Details
Officials from the U.S., Britain and the EU visited the Gulf state last week as part of a broader coordinated effort to prevent sanctioned goods from reaching Russia, a British Foreign Office spokesman said, declining to comment further.
The sources said that in a number of separate meetings, officials asked the UAE to share detailed trade information on its exports to Russia and re-exports of so-called dual-use goods, which have both civilian and military applications.
Responding to a request for comment, the UAE official did not specify whether negotiations had taken place, but said that bans on certain dual-use products had been issued. Preliminary data indicate no exports or reuse.
AddendumAddendum
A U.S. State Department official said the U.S. delegation visited the UAE as part of an ongoing dialogue on transshipment trends, especially of dual-use goods that support Russia's military industrial base.
Among the Western concerns is that companies in the UAE are involved in the export of computer chips, electronics, equipment and other sanctioned goods to Russia that could be used to aid Moscow's military efforts against Ukraine, the sources said.
Imports of some sanctioned dual-use goods to the UAE increased after Russia was sanctioned by the West.
Sanctions against Russia over its invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, including a ban on the export of sensitive goods, are mostly applied by Western powers, and other countries are not necessarily forced to comply.
However, the US has taken measures against individuals and companies that circumvent sanctions, including in the UAE and Turkey.
"We continue to have a close dialogue with our international partners, including the US and the EU, on the ongoing conflict in Ukraine and its implications for the global economy," the official said in an emailed statement that did not mention Russia.
Sources familiar with Western diplomatic ties to the UAE said that more companies in the UAE are likely to be sanctioned by the West for circumventing sanctions against Russia.