New Zealand unveils new sanctions against Russia
Wellington, Aug 8
New Zealand on Saturday announced a new round of sanctions against those supporting Russia's conflict with Ukraine.
Thirty-three individuals and entities were targeted in the sanctions package unveiled by Foreign Minister Winston Peters.
New Zealand enforced the Russia Sanctions Act in March 2022 and has moved against more than 2,000 individuals, entities and vessels ever since in its 36 rounds of sanctions, reports Xinhua news agency.
In a separate development, the US Senate passed a sweeping Russia sanctions bill that does not name India but could expose it and other major buyers of Russian energy to tariffs of up to 100 per cent.
Passed by the Senate by an 86-11 vote, the Lindsey Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act of 2026 now goes to the House of Representatives, where senior Democrats have objected to its tariff provisions.
The legislation requires the administration to identify countries using trade data rather than naming them in the statute. It covers the five largest importers of Russian crude oil, the five largest importers of Russian natural gas and the five leading countries facilitating Russian oil sanctions evasion.
Those determinations would be based on the most recent 12-month period and reviewed every 180 days.
The bill would impose primary and secondary sanctions against Russian officials, oligarchs, their family members, banks and financial institutions. It also targets foreign actors supporting Moscow's war in Ukraine and Russia's so-called shadow fleet used to transport oil and evade sanctions.
The legislation was named after Republican Senator Lindsey Graham, who negotiated an agreement with the White House before his sudden death on July 11. Senators accelerated work on the measure after his death. It would also extend the Iran Sanctions Act of 1996 until 2031. The law penalises companies investing in Iran's energy sector.
— IANS
Reader Comments
Everyone wants to talk about sanctions but nobody talks about how this affects common people back home. If they impose tariffs on our oil imports, petrol prices will skyrocket here. Bad for India, bad for the world economy.
Honestly, this is just American politics. They want to appear tough on Russia after that senator died. But it's all drama - they won't actually hurt India's oil trade. We have strong ties with both Russia and the US. 😏
I think we should question why New Zealand is jumping on this bandwagon too. They sanction Russia, but what about their own trade with China? These small nations just want to look good in the eyes of the US. We should focus on our national interest.
I don't understand why countries like New Zealand are getting involved in this conflict at all. India should stay neutral and continue doing what's best for our people. We have our own border issues to worry about, we don't need to solve Europe's problems. 🤷♀️
This is a distraction from the real issue. The Ukraine conflict is between Russia and the West. India has always maintained its independent foreign policy. These sanctions won't change anything for us. We need to strengthen our energy security and diversify our partnerships.
N We welcome thoughtful discussions from our readers. Please keep comments respectful and on-topic.