The WTO’s First Ruling on National Security: What Does It Mean for the United States?
Center for Strategic & International Studies
On April 5, 2019, a World Trade Organization (WTO) dispute settlement panel issued a landmark ruling in a dispute between Russia and Ukraine in which Russia claimed it had taken trade-restrictive measures for the purpose of protecting its national security. Central to the dispute was the so-called “national security exception,” which allows WTO members to breach their WTO obligations for purposes of national security.
