The Council of the European Union on June 16 renewed the sanctions on Russia imposed in response to Russia's illegal annexation of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol, until June 23, 2026. The restrictions were initially imposed in 2014 and include a ban on the import of products originating from Crimea or Sevastopol and infrastructural or financial investments and tourism services from these areas. In addition, EU parties can't export certain goods to Crimean companies for use in Crimea in the transport, telecommunications and energy sectors or for the exploration and production of oil, gas and mineral resources.
The U.K. on June 17 added four people, six entities and 20 shadow fleet ships to its Russia sanctions regime.
Export Compliance Daily is providing readers with the top stories from last week, in case you missed them. You can find any article by searching for the title or by clicking on the hyperlinked reference number.
A Texas-based industrial equipment supplier and its former CEO were fined millions of dollars for intentionally violating sanctions and export control laws, but the U.S. declined to prosecute its parent company after the firm voluntarily disclosed the violations and cooperated closely with DOJ’s investigation.
Joshua Kurland, a 15-year trial attorney at DOJ, has joined Hogan Lovells as a partner in the international trade and investment practice, the firm announced. At DOJ, Kurland led the government's litigation efforts in many cases in the Commercial Litigation Branch, including over 250 international trade-related cases. From January 2024 to January 2025, he sered as a trial attorney detailed in DOJ's national security division, covering counterintelligence and export control matters.
Two leaders of the House Republican Study Committee urged Congress June 16 to advance sanctions legislation aimed at stopping Iran from developing nuclear weapons and supporting terrorism.
Sens. Chris Van Hollen, D-Md., Tim Kaine, D-Va., and Alex Padilla, D-Calif., introduced a bill June 12 that would impose property-blocking sanctions on Salvadoran officials for alleged human rights abuses, including imprisoning U.S. residents deported by the Trump administration without due process.
Sen. Pete Ricketts, R-Neb., reintroduced legislation June 12 aimed at curbing U.S. investment in China. One bill would prohibit Americans from owning the publicly traded securities of U.S.-sanctioned companies, while another would bar index mutual funds from holding Chinese stocks. Both bills, which Ricketts previously introduced in the last Congress (see 2409270021), were referred to the Senate Banking Committee.
Taiwan added more than 600 companies to its list of those subject to stringent export license requirements, including major Chinese technology companies Huawei and SMIC.
Despite the Trump administration easing certain sanctions against Syria, companies should still be carrying out careful due diligence and should be aware of other legal risks they could face before doing any business in the country, industry advisers said this week.