Trump punishes Russia for ‘malign activity’

THE UNITED States has 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 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 stateowned arms-dealing company and a subsidiary bank, the Treasury Department said.

Senior Trump administration officials said the penalties were part of a concerted and ongoing effort by the US to push back Russian President Vladimir Putin’s government, emphasising that since Mr Trump took office last year, the US has punished 189 Russian-related people and entities with sanctions.

Mr Trump has continued to avoid directly criticising Mr Putin himself, and recently invited the Russian leader to meet with him, possibly at the White House.

However, in recent weeks Mr Trump’s administration has rolled out a series of actions – including several economic and diplomatic steps – to increase pressure on Mr Putin and those in his circle.

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

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 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.

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 Mr Putin’s position of power are fair game for US punishments, noting that many of those being sanctioned are closely tied to the Russian president himself. Targets include: Kirill Shamalov, who is reportedly married to his Mr Putin’s daughter Katerina Tikhonova, although neither Mr Putin nor the Kremlin have acknowledged that she is his daughter.

Igor Rotenberg, the son of Arkady Rotenberg, a friend of Mr Putin since they were teenagers.

Andrey Kostin, named among government officials, heads the nation’s second-largest bank, VTB, which is controlled by the state.

Alexei Miller, the long-time head of the state-controlled Gazprom natural gas giant. Both Miller and Kostin are longtime key members of Putin’s team.

Many of those identified by the Treasury and State Department as potential targets are on a list that was compiled and published in January.

Nobody has been tougher on Russia than I have. President Donald Trump in a speech earlier this week.