US official names Georgia among five states causing sanctions evading problem over Russia

Jim O’Brien, sanctions coordinator at the US State Department, on Wednesday said exports of key microchips and electronics that Russia needed for its war machine against Ukraine were  back to pre-war levels, as Moscow had “gotten better at circumventing sanctions”. 

 

The official claimed Washington had identified five countries in particular that he said were causing the circumvention problem, Turkey, Kazakhstan, Georgia, the United Arab Emirates and Armenia among them, Politico cited the official as saying in its Thursday’s report. In response, Giorgi Kakauridze, the Georgian deputy finance minister, said the US official had just mentioned such risks in relation to Georgia, noting “the risks Russia to use its neighboring countries for circumventing the sanctions are natural”. 

 

However, he stressed “not a single case has been evidenced so far” Russia had managed to use the Georgian territory or its financial institutions to evade the sanctions. 

 

Kakauridze also stressed the country’s authorities were in “close coordination” with the US and the EU to prevent any such possible cases.