According to Michael McFaul, former US ambassador to Russia and coordinator of the sanctions group established by the President of Ukraine, there is substantial evidence that Georgian individuals and organizations are aiding Russia in circumventing sanctions. McFaul discussed this in an interview with Radio Svoboda.
“At this stage, I can tell you the following: our group has indeed discussed specific individuals and organizations from Georgia that we are considering imposing sanctions on. So, stay tuned – we will publish new documents during the summer.
We have substantial evidence indicating that they are helping Russia bypass sanctions or, so to speak, ‘cut the path,’ and we want to shed light on this. We have not yet made a final decision, and that is why I exercise caution,” McFaul said.
Last week Jim O’Brien, Head of the Office of Sanctions Coordination at the US State Department, Kumar Iyer, Director of the Office for Foreign Affairs, Commonwealth and Development of the United Kingdom in the field of economics, science, and technology, and David O’Sullivan, the EU Special Representative for Sanctions, visited Georgia.
According to David O’Sullivan, the European Union is disappointed that Georgia is not joining the sanctions imposed by the West against Russia, although they “understand” it considering the geopolitical context.
As explained during a joint conference by Kumar Iyer and Jim O’Brien, the main goal of the visit is to work on mechanisms for monitoring the possible import of sanctioned equipment into Russia from neighboring countries.
Kumar Iyer also stated that most attempts to evade the sanctions imposed by the West against Russia occur at land borders, although control over air traffic should also be strengthened.
