New US sanctions on Russia
Imposed over chemical weapon attack
NEW SANCTIONS against Russia will be imposed later this month for illegally using a chemical weapon in the attempted murder of a former spy and his daughter in Britain earlier this year, the US says.
The penalties come despite President Donald Trump’s efforts to improve relations with Russia and its leader, Vladimir Putin, and his harsh criticism of the investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election.
In response to the announcement, the Russian Embassy in the US issued a statement referring to “far-fetched accusations” and saying Russian officials had yet to hear any facts or evidence and that the US had refused to answer questions.
The State Department said on Wednesday that the US made the determination this week that Russia had used the Novichok nerve agent to poison Sergei Skripal and his daughter, Yulia, and that sanctions would follow.
It said Congress was being notified of Monday’s determination and that the sanctions would take effect on or around August 22, when the finding was to be published in the Federal Register.
Those sanctions will include the presumed denial of export licences for Russia to purchase many items with national security implications, according to a senior State Department official.
The US made a similar determination in February when it found that North Korea had used a chemical weapon to murder North Korean leader Kim Jong Un’s half-brother at the airport in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, in 2017.
Skripal and his daughter were poisoned by the Novichok military-grade nerve agent in the English town of Salisbury in March. Both eventually recovered. Britain has accused Russia of being behind the attack, which the Kremlin vehemently denies.
Months later, two residents of a nearby town with no ties to Russia were also poisoned by the deadly toxin. Police be- lieve the couple had accidentally found a bottle containing Novichok. One of them died.
The US had joined Britain in condemning Russia for the Skripal poisoning and joined with European nations in expelling Russian diplomats in response, but it had yet to make the formal determination that the Russian government had “used chemical or biological weapons in violation of international law or has used lethal chemical or biological weapons against its own nationals”.
Welcomed British Prime Minister Theresa May welcomed the US decision. Her Downing Street office issued a statement saying the move sent “an unequivocal message to Russia that its provocative, reckless behaviour will not go unchallenged”.
In its statement, the Russian Embassy said it had been informed on Wednesday of “draconian” sanctions.
“We grew accustomed to not hearing any facts or evidence. The American side re- fused to answer our follow-up questions, claiming that the information is classified. However, we were told that the US has enough intel to conclude that Russia is to blame,” the embassy said.
Referring to its communications with the State Department on the issue, the embassy added: “We confirmed that we continue to strongly stand for an open and transparent investigation of the crime committed in Salisbury and for bringing the culprits to justice. We suggested publishing our correspondence on this issue. No answer has followed so far.”
Konstantin Kosachev, the chairperson of the foreign affairs committee in the upper house of the Russian parliament, said yesterday that the US had behaved like a “police state, threatening and torturing a suspect to get evidence.” He added that the new sanctions amounted to “inflicting a punishment in the absence of a crime in the tradition of lynch law”.
Leonid Slutsky, the head of the lower house’s foreign af- fairs committee, denounced the sanctions as a manifestation of “unbridled Russophobia” and a mockery of international law, saying Russia might respond with counter-sanctions.
Several members of Congress had expressed concern that the Trump administration was dragging its feet on the determination and had missed a deadline to publish its findings. Lawmakers praised Wednesday’s announcement.
“The administration is rightly acting to uphold international bans on the use of chemical weapons,” said Ed Royce, chairperson of the House Foreign Affairs Committee. Royce had previously accused Trump of ignoring the Russian nerve agent attack.
“The mandatory sanctions that follow this determination are key to increasing pressure on Russia. Vladimir Putin must know that we will not tolerate his deadly acts,” Royce said Wednesday.
While criticised as too keen to strike up a friendship with Putin, Trump maintains that he’s been tough on Moscow. His administration has sanctioned a number of Russian officials and oligarchs. – AP