The European Council extended until Feb. 28, 2025, its sanctions regime on Belarus for its support of Russia's invasion of Ukraine. The one-year extension was made as part of an annual review of the sanctions on Belarus, the council said Feb. 26. The restrictions include an asset freeze on 233 people and 37 entities, along with sectoral restrictions on the financial sector, trade, trade in dual-use goods and technology, and more.

The EU announced its 13th sanctions package on Russia last week to mark two years since Russia invaded Ukraine, imposing designations against another 194 people and companies while expanding the list of advanced technology items that Russia is seeking for its defense and technology sectors.

The U.K. corrected or amended one entry each under its sanctions regimes covering Russia, ISIL (Da'esh) and Al-Qaida, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the Central African Republic. The Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation updated the listings for Ilya Borisovich Brodskiy, 'Abd Al-Rahman Muhammad Mustafa Al-Qaduli, Willy Ngoma and Konstantin Aleksendrovitch Pikalov, respectively.

The European Council on Feb. 22 added six people and one entity to its Moldova sanctions regime for undermining the sovereignty of Moldova. The entity, Scutul Poporului, has "made repeated attempts" to undermine Moldovoa's government through riots and violent demonstrations, the council said. The other sanctions target the group's leader, media executives and an official "responsible for Russia's covert operations" in Moldova.

EU member state ambassadors on Feb. 21 approved two European Council proposals to renew for another year the suspension of import duties and quotas on goods from Ukraine and Moldova, the council announced.

The U.K. added 50 entries to its Russia sanctions regime and two entries to its Belarus regime, the Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation announced in a pair of notices this week.

The U.K. Parliament’s Business and Trade Committee this week published a report on the country’s upcoming accession to the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership, outlining what the committee views as the trade deal's benefits and impact on U.K. trade, and recommendations for the government. It also includes testimony from U.K. government officials on the deal’s expected impacts on rules of origin procedures, expanded market access and goods sectors that may “lose” as a result of the partnership.

The U.K. added a frequently asked question to its Russia sanctions guidance to clarify when certain sanctioned U.K. parties must report to the Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation on changes in their financial circumstances under regulation 70A (5). New FAQ 56 says a party must report to OFSI when "the value of your funds or economic resources, when taken together, has changed" by more than 10,000 pounds ($12,620) since its most recent report to OFSI. Changes also must be reported "if there has been a change to the nature or location of funds or economic resources where those funds or economic resources exceeds" $12,620. This also applies where multiple funds of the same type total more than $12,620.

The U.K. on Feb. 21 added six Russians to its Global Human Rights sanctions regime for their role in the death of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny. They are Aleksandr Vladimirovich Golyakov, Vadim Konstantinovich Kalinin, Sergey Nikolaevich Korzhov, Aleksandr Valerievich Obraztsov, Vladimir Ivanovich Pilipchik and Vasiliy Alexandrovich Vydrin, all of whom worked at the Arctic penal colony IK-3 where Navalny was being detained.

The European Council on Feb. 19 introduced a humanitarian sanctions exception across its "restrictive measures to combat terrorism" for a 12-month period. Under the exemption, organizations and agencies "certified as humanitarian partners of the EU or its member states" can "engage in transactions with listed individuals and entities" without prior authorization to deliver humanitarian aid or support other activities that help people meet their "basic human needs," the council said. The measure brings the EU's sanctions framework in line with the U.N.'s humanitarian carve-out, the council said.