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Western sanctions against the Russian Federation are not working well, but they are pushing to expand them. On Monday, December 9, Great Britain announced a new wave of sanctions aimed at the illegal trade in gold, which finances Russian President Vladimir Putin's military actions in Ukraine and fuels corruption, writes Reuters.
It is noted that the British government has frozen the assets of four people involved in gold smuggling. Another person is under sanctions for buying more than $300 million worth of Russian gold, providing income to the Russian government.
“Illegal gold is an attack on the legitimate trade of a valuable commodity, fuels corruption, undermines the rule of law and perpetuates human rights violations such as child labor. Russia uses the illegal trade in gold to launder money and evade sanctions, thereby supporting Putin's military efforts," the UK Foreign Office said in a statement.
Sanctions against Russia are the latest news
On December 2, the new head of the European Council, Antonio Costa, said that Europe plans to increase pressure on the Russian economy and further weaken the Kremlin's ability to wage war.
We also reported that the EU is putting pressure on the USA to ease sanctions against the Russian Gazprombank. This financial institution is key to ensuring supplies of Russian natural gas to the EU. The debate continues even after Russian President Vladimir Putin lifted a requirement that foreign buyers use only that bank to buy Russian gas.
