A worker passes wrapped cargo in the Air France-KLM G1XL cargo hangar at Charles de Gaulle airport in Roissy, France, on Monday, May 10, 2021. European Union leaders urged U.S. President Joe Biden to lift restrictions on exports of Covid-19 vaccines to address the desperate needs of developing countries before embarking on complex discussions about whether patent waivers might also boost supply in the longer term.
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Putin stirs European worry on home appliance imports stripped for arms
European officials familiar with the figures say they worry at least some of the goods and their components may be finding their way into military use, and are closely tracking the rise in exports to countries on Russia’s periphery.
By Alberto Nardelli, Bryce Baschuk and Marc Champion
(Bloomberg) — A sudden and surprising spike in European exports of washing machines, refrigerators and even electric breast pumps to Russia's neighbors is raising concerns among officials the trade boom may be helping Vladimir Putin's war machine in Ukraine.
Armenia imported more washing machines from the European Union during the first eight months of the year than the past two years combined, according to data compiled by Bloomberg from the EU's Eurostat database. Kazakhstan imported $21.4 million worth of European refrigerators through August, more than triple the amount for the same period last year.
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