The approved fourth package of sanctions against Russia over the Ukraine situation was published in the Official Journal of the European Union and entered into force on Tuesday.
“This Decision shall enter into force on the date of its publication in the Official Journal of the European Union,” the journal said.
As previously reported, renewed EU sanctions on Russia include a ban on investment in Russia’s energy sector, but exceptions are made for the peaceful nuclear industry and transportation of energy resources to the EU.
The UK denies Russia and Belarus access to Most Favored Nation tariff for hundreds of their exports, imposes a 35% import duty on a number of Russian goods, including vodka, and, same as the European Union, bans exports of luxury goods to Russia, the British government said in a statement on Tuesday.
“The UK denies Russia and Belarus access to Most Favored Nation tariff for hundreds of their exports, depriving both nations key benefits of WTO membership,” the statement said.
Same as the EU, London bans “exports of luxury goods to Russia alongside its G7 allies,” the statement said. The ban applies to vehicles, clothes and art.
The British government also “published an initial list of goods worth GBP 900 million – including vodka – which will now face an additional 35 percent tariff, on top of current tariffs,” the statement said.
BANS, EXPORT, LUXURY GOODS, RUSSIA, UK
The delegations of Ukraine and the aggressor country resumed negotiations after a technical pause taken a day earlier, Ukrayinska Pravda writes, citing a member of the delegation, head of the Servant of the People faction in the Verkhovna Rada David Arakhamia.
“Negotiations are already underway,” Arakhamia said in a comment to the publication on Tuesday.
At the same time, members of the Ukrainian delegation have so far refrained from making any other comments.
As reported, on March 14, a technical pause was taken in the negotiations between the Ukrainian and Russian delegations on ending the war for additional work in working subgroups and clarification of individual definitions. Later, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky said that the Ukrainian delegation worked well, and that the negotiations themselves would continue on March 15.
Accor, operator of the Novotel and Ibis brands; Hilton; and Hyatt will not be opening any new hotels in Russia, and they are suspending all partnerships with Russian companies, though they will continue to operate existing hotels, the hotel chains said in their respective statements.
“The French owner of the Novotel and Ibis hotel chains said that it has suspended all planned openings and developments in Russia and any partnerships with Russian companies, though it will continue to operate its more than 50 hotels in the country in order to support its 3,500 Russian employees,” the Financial Times wrote.
Accor was the first international hotel chain to announce a halt, followed by Hilton, operator of the LXR Hotels & Resorts, Waldorf Astoria, Hilton brands and others, and Hyatt. Neither Marriott nor IHG has issued a statement regarding the matter.
“We have now taken the decision to suspend our development activities and any new investment in Russia, and the decision is effective immediately,” the Hyatt hotel chain posted on its official news site.
Hyatt also notes that it will continue to monitor the situation in Russia, while complying with the directives of the U.S. government, as it hopes for a resolution to the crisis.
The Hilton hotel chain said late on Wednesday that it had closed its corporate office in Moscow and would suspend construction of hotels in Russia. The company said in a statement that it would also continue to monitor the situation in Russia.
Accor CEO Sebastien Bazin had previously canceled a meeting scheduled for this week with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Accor’s plans for 2022 had included the opening of five new hotels in Russia. Overall, there are 50 hotels open in the country, with 21 of them operating in Moscow.
The online booking services of Airbnb and Booking.com have also ceased operations in Russia.
The Radisson hotel chain has stated that it would remain in Russia. “All Radisson Hotel Group hotels in Russia will continue to operate. We are closely monitoring the situation in the region, we care about the well-being of all guests and team members, and continue to adhere to all instructions,” the company said in a statement.
Content creators who use the YouTube video hosting website will no longer be able to receive income from Russian audiences, the company said in a statement.
YouTube said they would extend the suspension onto all monetization opportunities, including YouTube Premium and Music Premium subscriptions, channel sponsorship, super-chats, super-stickers and merchandise for Russian viewers.
This means YouTube content creators will temporarily be unable to monetize on views in Russia.
YouTube noted that the decision would not apply to earnings from views outside of Russia.
Google and YouTube Ads were shut down in Russia earlier, thus depriving YouTube content creators of the opportunity to make money on ads viewed by Russian users.
Google said earlier that it was suspending payments for Google Play products by Russian users, which prevented them from buying new applications or extending subscriptions to applications in use.
Russian users reported that it is no longer possible to subscribe to YouTube Premium, which allows watching videos without ads.
Meanwhile, the Visa and MasterCard payment systems stopped service for Russian cards on March 10. Cards issued in Russia will continue to work inside the country but will be inactive abroad. Cards issued outside of Russia will not work in the Russian territory.
British American Tobacco (BAT), one of the world’s largest manufacturers of tobacco products in the world, has suspended its work and business operations in Ukraine due to the military invasion of the Russian Federation, while in the Russian Federation the corporation will suspend all planned capital investments and “rationalize its marketing activities”.
The corresponding statement was posted on the corporation’s website on Wednesday.
“In Ukraine, we have suspended all business and manufacturing operations and are providing all the support and assistance we can to our colleagues, including relocation and temporary accommodation. Our businesses bordering Ukraine are providing assistance to the humanitarian relief effort. In Russia, we have a full establishment of our people right across the country, including substantial local manufacturing. Our business in Russia continues to operate. As a key principle we have a duty of care to all our employees at this extremely complicated and uncertain time for them and their families,” it said in the report.
“We are deeply concerned about the conflict in Ukraine. The safety and wellbeing of our people there and across the region is our first priority. We have full local establishments of 1,000 people in Ukraine and 2,500 in Russia. Our thoughts are with them all at this incredibly difficult time,” the report says.
“We have suspended all planned capital investment into Russia and will focus on our portfolio of locally produced tobacco products – including our heated tobacco products. Furthermore, we are scaling our business activities appropriate to the current situation, including rationalizing our marketing activities. This fast-moving and complex situation demands us to constantly assess a wide range of factors and considerations. We are complying, and will continue to comply with, all international sanctions related to this conflict in full,” the company said.
