Fresh sanctions on key Putin allies

Trump has however continued to avoid directly criticising Putin himself

The US yesterday imposed new sanctions on seven of Russia’s richest men and 17 top officials in the latest effort to punish President Vladimir Putin’s inner circle for interference in the 2016 elections.

The United States hit seven Russian oligarchs and 17 Russian government officials with sanctions yesterday for what it called “malign activity” around the world, as the Trump administration tried to show that President Donald Trump is taking tough action to stand up to Moscow.

A dozen Russian companies owned by the oligarchs were also targeted, along with a state-owned arms-dealing company and a subsidiary bank, the Treasury Department said. Senior Trump administration officials cast the penalties as part of a concerted and ongoing effort by the US to push back Russian President Vladimir Putin’s government, emphasising that since Trump took office last year, the US has punished 189 Russian-related people and entities with sanctions.

Going easy on Putin

Trump has continued to avoid directly criticising Putin himself, and recently invited the Russian leader to meet with him, possibly at the White House. Still, in recent weeks Trump’s administration has rolled out a series of actions — including several economic and diplomatic steps — to increase pressure on Putin and those in his circle.

“Nobody has been tougher on Russia than I have,” Trump said at a news conference on Tuesday.

Rather than punishing Russia for one specific action, the new sanctions are in response to “the totality of the Russian government’s ongoing and increasingly brazen pattern” of bad behaviour, said the officials, who weren’t authorised to comment by name and briefed reporters on condition of anonymity.

The officials ticked through a list of activities they said had prompted the US to act, including Russia’s actions in Crimea and eastern Ukraine, support for Syrian President Bashar Assad, cyber-hacking and attempts to subvert Western democracy.

There was no immediate reaction from Russia’s government.

Many of the targets are individuals and businesses associated with Russia’s energy sector, including those affiliated with state-owned Gazprom. Officials said the goal was to show that those who have benefited financially from Russian President Vladimir Putin’s position of power are fair game for US punishments, noting that many of those being sanctioned are closely tied to Putin himself.

Targets include: Kirill Shamalov, who is reportedly Putin’s son-in-law, married to his daughter Katerina Tikhonova, although neither Putin nor the Kremlin have acknowledged that she is his daughter; and Igor Rotenberg, the son of Arkady Rotenberg, a friend of Putin’s friend since they were teenagers, among others.