US hits Russia with new sanctions
The Trump administration has announced new sanctions against Russia over the poisoning of a former British spy after months of discussion about how to respond to the March attack on Sergei and Yulia Skripal.
Downing Street yesterday welcomed the news, stating: ‘‘The strong international response to the use of a chemical weapon on the streets of Salisbury sends an unequivocal message to Russia that its provocative, reckless behaviour will not go unchallenged.’’
Although the US joined European countries in publicly blaming Moscow within days of the attack, the Trump administration never issued a formal triggering of sanctions under its decades-old US law on chemical weapons.
But the declaration brings into effect sanctions limiting exports to Russia and the financing of deals.
The biggest impact is expected to come from a ban on granting licences to export sensitive national security goods to Russia, which have included electronic devices and components, along with test and calibration equipment for avionics.
The new prohibitions, which come into effect on August 22, could cut off hundreds of millions of dollars in future exports to Russia. A second, more painful round will kick in three months later unless Russia provides ‘‘reliable assurances’’ that it will not use chemical weapons in the future and agrees to ‘‘on-site inspections’’ by the UN – conditions unlikely to be accepted.
This could include downgrading diplomatic relations, suspending state airline Aeroflot flights to the US, and cutting off nearly all exports and imports. Mike Pompeo, the secretary of state, said Russia had violated international law by using a chemical weapon.
Vladimir Putin, the Russian president, accused Britain of making baseless accusations over the poisonings and suggested they were driven by domestic issues in the UK.
Yesterday’s announcement comes months after Congress made a formal request for Trump to determine that Russia had violated international law. Officials explained that the delay came about because the administration always took time to examine the evidence before coming to a decision.
‘‘We are tough on Russia, and at the same time we are committed to maintaining relations because there are important things at stake here,’’ a senior state department official said. ‘‘This has been our position all along.’’
‘‘We are tough on Russia, and at the same time we are committed to maintaining relations because there are important things at stake here.’’
Senior state department official