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ARTICLE · 05 OCTOBER 2026

Sanctions Update: September 21, 2026

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Western countries are increasingly using sanctions waivers as diplomatic bargaining chips to secure prisoner releases and achieve transactional geopolitical goals. Recent US-Belarus and France-Azerbaijan deals highlight this trend, raising questions about sanctions policy coherence, alliance coordination, and the long-term effectiveness of economic restrictions as foreign policy tools.

GlobalInternational Law
Steptoe LLP
Steptoe LLP

The Sanctions Update, compiled by attorneys from Steptoe’s award-winning International Regulatory Compliance team and the Stepwise: Risk Outlook editorial team, publishes every Monday. Guided by the knowledge of Steptoe’s industry-leading International Trade and Regulatory Compliance team, the Sanctions Update compiles and contextualizes weekly developments in international regulatory enforcement and compliance, as well as offers insights on geopolitical context, business impacts, and forthcoming risks.

Subscribe to the Stepwise Risk Outlook here. To receive only the Sanctions Update edition (published most Mondays), select “Stepwise Risk Outlook: Sanctions Update.” For more detailed analysis on related issues, see Steptoe’s International Compliance Blog. For information on industry-specific monitoring or bespoke services, please contact the team here.

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