United States sanctions

BELGRADE - Serbian Finance Minister Sinisa Mali said on Monday potential US sanctions on Serbia's majority Russian-owned oil company NIS from January 1 would be extremely bad for Serbia but noted that the arrival of a new US administration might be a light at the end of the tunnel.

Artan Grubi, former Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Inter-Community Relations in North Macedonia, along with Appeals Court Judge Enver Bexheti, has been added to the US State Department's "blacklist" due to significant corruption. The sanctions, which also affect their families, include a ban on entering the United States.

The US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is investigating the Chinese e-commerce platform Temu for potential violations of the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act (UFLPA), which could lead to a ban on its products in the United States.

Three Bulgarian companies have been sanctioned by the United States for providing support to Russia's military industry. According to lists released by the US Department of State and Treasury, the companies supplied aviation components and other goods used in Russia's ongoing military operations in Ukraine, as reported by BNR.

A recent study by Moody's reveals that Bulgaria is among the top European Union countries with a high concentration of companies connected to Russian entities. The research identified 46,000 firms across the EU with at least 40% ownership by Russian companies or individuals. Bulgaria ranks second in this list, following the Czech Republic.

VINCA - US Ambassador to Serbia Christopher Hill said on Thursday US sanctions imposed on Security Information Agency chief Aleksandar Vulin were not against any of the institutions in Serbia, but against an individual.

Speaking to reporters during a visit to an archaeological site in Vinca, Hill said the US had made this "very clear."

Three Cypriot companies are included in the new list of sanctions imposed by the US. A press release by the US Department of the Treasury says that with over 300 sanctions, the US is targeting Russia's circumvention and evasion of previous sanctions, military-industrial supply chains, and future energy revenues.

The caretaker government is preparing a request for a derogation if the European Union imposes sanctions against Russian nuclear energy, Deputy Minister of Energy Elenko Bozhkov told BNT.

Washington says there is no new policy to announce regarding a recent arms embargo lift on the Republic of Cyprus, following news that US sanctions have been imposed on several dealers including individuals who are based on the island.

The Sanctions Buster

Illustration: BIRN

Slobodan Tesic is reputedly one of the biggest arms traders in the Balkans. He is also one of the most controversial in the region, having been the subject of UN sanctions over violations of embargoes on weapons exports to Liberia for the best part of a decade.