Suspension of normal trade relations with Russia justified, international trade law expert says

LAWRENCE — President Joe Biden announced today that the United States will join other G-7 nations and the European Union in moving to suspend normal trade relations with Russia. The move is a continuation of the response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and will raise tariffs on Russian products.

Raj Bhala, an international trade law expert at the University of Kansas, is available to speak with media about the move, its ramifications, how separate nations would implement it, how it would change tariffs, what it means to various international economies, most favored nation status at the World Trade Organization, legislation required for the move in the United States and related topics.

“WTO rules mandate immediate, unconditional MFN treatment among all members. This revocation is of huge legal significance, though less so practically, because of Russia’s relatively small trading position in most markets,” said Bhala, the Brenneisen Distinguished Professor of Law at KU. “It’s entirely justified under WTO rules, not only under the national security exception but also, arguably, as a matter of public morality. It’s also another nail in what’s become the coffin of multilateralism.”

Bhala has a global reputation in the scholarship of international trade law and has worked in more than 25 countries around the world, including Russia and throughout the European Union and Asia. He writes a regular column, “On Point,” for Bloomberg Quint in India and has written numerous books and journal articles on international trade, including the acclaimed four-volume International Trade Law: A Comprehensive Textbook, now in its fifth edition and the two-volume treatise “Modern GATT Law” and “TPP Objectively: Legal, Economic, and National Security Implications of CPTPP,” second edition. He practiced international banking law at the Federal Reserve Bank of New York before entering academia.

To schedule an interview, contact Mike Krings at 785-864-8860, mkrings@ku.edu. Media may also directly reach out to Bhala at bhala@ku.edu.