Tuesday, December 23, 2025
💬 In a few words:
Oh sweetie, America just quietly *undid* sanctions on firms helping Russia, without a peep of explanation! I'm telling you, the world's gone topsy-turvy.
More details:
🍵 The Tea on the Treasury's Little Secret!
Well, I never! You won't believe what I just heard, girls. Our own dear United States government, bless their hearts, has been quietly removing sanctions from companies that were supposedly helping Russia’s military! Can you believe the nerve? They just *poof*, made them disappear from the naughty list, and didn't even bother to tell us why! It’s all hush-hush, right there on the Treasury Department’s website from December 18th.
First, there's this company from Cyprus called Veles International, and its owner, Dmytro Buhaienko. They were sanctioned back in 2023 for being all chummy with wealthy Russian types. Now, I hear their Russian branches are still on the list, but the Cyprus part? Gone! Just like that! It’s enough to make you drop your teacup!
Then there are these other companies, sweetie, from Dubai and Türkiye, called 365 Days Freight Services FZCO and Etasis. The Treasury said 365 Days was moving all sorts of "high-value computer parts" straight to Russia. And Etasis? Well, they were also linked to military supplies. And now? Clean as a whistle!
And get this, a Finnish company, Hi-Tech Koneisto, which supplied optoelectronic gadgets to sanctioned Russian firms, is also off the hook! Even a Turkish firm, CPS Proses Kontrol Urunleri, that sent fancy German and US machine tools to a Russian defense contractor – gone from the sanctions list! Though, mind you, the Russian folks they were sending things to are still deemed naughty. Honestly, it’s a whole confusing mess!
Grandma’s Sarcastic Snooping!
Oh, the explanations we're getting? Absolutely none! Not a peep about why these folks are suddenly so innocent. Did they suddenly have a change of heart? Did their equipment spontaneously stop working for the military? Heavens to Betsy, what are we to think?
It’s always the same, isn’t it? These big institutions, they just make their decisions behind closed doors, and expect us little old grandmas to just nod and sip our tea. Well, I’m not just sipping, I’m *spilling* the tea on this one!
It makes you wonder, doesn’t it? Are we suddenly all friends again? Or is this just another one of those "don't ask, don't tell" situations? Back in my day, if you did something wrong, you had to explain yourself! There was no quiet vanishing act, oh no.
What *Actually* Happened, Bless Their Hearts
Alright, sweetie, let's put on our sensible spectacles. Officially, what happened is that the U.S. Treasury Department updated its sanctions list on December 18th. Several foreign companies that were previously sanctioned for allegedly supplying Russia's military, or operating in their financial sector, are no longer on that list. This includes businesses from Cyprus, Dubai, Türkiye, and Finland.
The important bit, the part that raises my eyebrow, is that President Donald J. Trump’s administration has offered absolutely no public reason for these removals. It's a mystery wrapped in an enigma, with a dash of "mind your own business" thrown in.
And get this, all this is happening while White House negotiators have been meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow. They’re apparently pushing for some kind of deal to end the war in Ukraine. Coincidence? I’m just a grandma, but that does raise a perfectly plucked eyebrow, doesn't it?
Why Grandma Just Can’t Even Today!
Honestly, I just can’t even with this modern world! One minute we’re sanctioning everyone for helping Russia, the next we’re quietly letting them off the hook with no explanation? It’s enough to give a person the vapors!
What kind of message are we sending, sweetie? It’s like telling a child, "You can't have dessert!" and then sneaking them a cookie when no one's looking. It just doesn't make sense! I mean, are we serious about these sanctions or are we just playing a little game?
It truly makes me sigh. Where’s the transparency? Where’s the plain old common sense? I suppose some things will always be a mystery to us grandmas, but that doesn't stop us from gossiping about it over a nice cup of Earl Grey! These quiet moves just invite more whispers, don't they? And you know how much I love a good whisper!
Grandma's waiting on your verdict
Pour dear Grandma another cup by tapping how this gossip feels. She can't finish her knitting until you whisper your take.