Sanctions against Russia: Targeting third countries

Sanctions and export controls against Russia do not derive from any UN Security Council resolution but are being unilaterally implemented by a coalition, led primarily by the G7 (the US, UK, Canada, Japan, Italy, France and Germany) and the EU, that has included more than 30 countries around the globe and who represent more than 50% of the global economy. There are, however, several countries, including China, India, Iran, the United Arab Emirates, Israel and Saudi Arabia who do not support unilateral sanctions against Russia. Turkey, which is a NATO Member State, and Serbia, which is an EU candidate country, have also refused to implement sanctions.

Nevertheless, Russia is now the most sanctioned country in the world. Questions remain however, over the effectiveness of those sanctions as Russia has sought alternative markets and established new trade routes and methods for circumvention.

Addressing sanctions evasion

Countries in the Middle East and Central Asia with strong links to Russia, who have generally adopted a neutral stance toward the conflict in Ukraine and do not support unilateral sanctions, have increasingly attracted Western attention as bilateral trade with Russia has risen dramatically, particularly in components and dual-use goods and technologies.

Russia has also adopted new methods for circumvention in response to sanctions, and particularly those relating to its global trade in oil and gas. Russia has been exploiting international procurement networks and has made extensive use of a growing ‘shadow fleet’ of tankers to transport sanctioned Russian crude oil around the globe and/or circumvent the oil price cap instituted by the G7.

As the sanctions regime against Russia has evolved, the focus of effort by the G7 countries and the EU has increasingly been on preventing sanctions evasion and closing any remaining loopholes in the existing regime.

To assist in preventing the re-export of goods and technologies crucial to Russia’s military development from non-sanctioning third countries, the UK, US, EU and Japan have adopted a Common High Priority Items List, covering items which are largely considered dual-use technologies that Russia has been actively seeking to procure via neighbouring countries.

Individuals and entities in third countries have become sanctions targets and measures to address Russia’s shadow fleet have become a priority.

Countries providing military support

The US, under the Biden administration, and its allies have sanctioned countries and state-affiliated organisations said to be assisting Russia in the conduct of its war in Ukraine or in evading sanctions to support its military-industrial complex, namely Belarus, Iran, North Korea and China. It is those countries which are the focus of this briefing paper.

A US divergence from the EU and the G7?

There have been concerns that sanctions coordination between the US and its allies could unravel as the Trump administration pursues a different Ukraine strategy from that of the previous US administration. US sanctions policy since the start of 2025 has been predominantly focused on Iran, counter narcotics and countering malicious cyber activity, as opposed to those facilitating Russia’s war in Ukraine. In the first nine months of his administration, President Trump did not join the UK, the EU and other allies and partners in imposing any new sanctions on Russia, nor did it add any new individuals or entities to its Russia sanctions list. Instead, President Trump turned his attention to sanctions and tariffs against third countries that trade in oil and gas with Russia, although India is the only country that has been targeted, to date.

However, toward the end of October 2025, the US announced sanctions against Russia’s two largest oil companies: Rosneft and Lukoil. The move coincided with the cancellation of further face-to-face talks between President Trump and President Putin and were, the US Department of the Treasury said, a direct result of Russia’s “lack of serious commitment to a peace process to end the war in Ukraine”.

Sanctions against Russia are examined in Commons Library research briefings:

• Sanctions against Russia: What has changed in 2025?
• Sanctions against Russia (February 2022 to January 2025).