The U.S. and its European allies are lobbying the United Arab Emirates to halt exports of critical goods to Russia amid Vladimir Putin's unprecedented war in Ukraine.
What Happened: Officials from the West in recent weeks visited the middle-eastern nation to press the wide-ranging scope of their trade restrictions as the Ukrainian allies seek to starve Putin of key military components to sustain his war, reported the Financial Times.
The report added that the President Joe Biden-led administration is worried that the rich gulf nation is becoming a hub for the shipment of items such as electronics that can be repurposed to help Moscows war effort.
One particular concern is so-called "re-exporting," where goods are routed through the U.A.E. to sidestep restrictions, people familiar with the discussions said.
The head of the U.S. Office of Sanctions Coordination James O'Brien, E.U. sanctions envoy David O'Sullivan, and the U.K.'s sanctions directorate's director David Reed visited Abu Dhabi last month to press their case.
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"Our main request is that they stop the re-exports [and] acknowledge these re-exports are problematic," an anonymous western official said, adding that "conversations are continuing."
After war sanctions from the collective West, exports of electronic parts from Abu Dhabi to Mocow jumped more than seven-fold last year to almost $283 million making the category the largest type of product shipped in that direction.
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