Ukraine Urges Hong Kong to Not Assist Russia in Evading Sanctions

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba arrived in Hong Kong on Thursday (July 25) and called on Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam to prevent Russia from using Hong Kong to evade Western sanctions.

According to Reuters, both Hong Kong and mainland China are seen by the US government as key pathways for Russia to bypass Western sanctions to procure military supplies, including semiconductors and drone components.

The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry stated that Dmytro Kuleba urged the Hong Kong government to take action to prevent Russia and Russian companies from using Hong Kong to circumvent restrictions imposed against Russia for its aggression against Ukraine.

Reports indicate that according to data from the US Department of Commerce, Hong Kong remains a hotspot for Russia to evade global sanctions, even though the shipments of semiconductors and other restricted items dispatched through China and Hong Kong have decreased by one-fifth this year.

As the world’s second-largest economy, China claims to maintain neutrality in the conflict in Ukraine. However, in the days following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022, China declared an “unlimited” partnership with Russia. Since then, China has maintained close diplomatic ties with Russia and assisted Russia in sustaining its wartime economy.

While the Hong Kong government has previously stated that it will not enforce unilateral sanctions imposed by other countries, it will actively implement sanctions from the UN Security Council based on directives from the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Kuleba held a meeting in Guangzhou with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi for over three hours on Wednesday before heading to Hong Kong. The focus of their discussion was on how to end Russia’s full-scale war in Ukraine.