Ukraine urges the EU to strengthen measures against circumventing sanctions through third countries.

Ukraine calls on the EU to strengthen control over third countries to prevent sanctions evasion

Ukraine is appealing to the European Union to step up the fight against the circumvention of sanctions via third countries. This stance was expressed by Vladyslav Vlasiuk, the president’s envoy on sanctions policy, citing abnormally high volumes of exports from the EU to third countries.

The Kyrgyzstan authorities have already terminated the activities of 50 legal entities engaged in high-risk re-export operations following the introduction of the 20th EU sanctions package. This package includes restrictions for countries that could act as transit hubs for sanctioned goods to Russia. Vlasiuk emphasizes that the case involving Kyrgyzstan demonstrates the effectiveness of the sanctions mechanism and its impact on the control of export-financial transactions.

However, mechanisms to prevent the re-export of sanctioned goods remain insufficient. Ukraine notes high export volumes of certain goods from the EU to third countries such as Hong Kong, Uzbekistan, and Kazakhstan, posing risks of their further entry into Russia. According to estimates, only through Hong Kong in 2024-2025, sanctioned goods worth 47 million euros were delivered to Russia.

There is particular concern over the export of machines with numerical control systems: during this period, deliveries from the EU to Uzbekistan increased by 700%, and to Kazakhstan by 480%. Meanwhile, Uzbekistan has already exported such machines to Russia worth over 1.4 million euros. The president’s envoy is urging the EU to expand the application of countermeasures against the circumvention of sanctions to more goods and jurisdictions.