U.S. to sanction Russia over poisoning

WASHINGTON — The United States announced Wednesday that it will impose new sanctions on Russia for illegally using a chemical weapon in an attempt to kill a former spy and his daughter in Britain earlier this year.

The new sanctions, to be imposed later this month, come despite President Donald Trump’s efforts to improve relations with Russia and its leader Vladimir Putin, and amid the ongoing probe into Russian interference in the 2016 U.S. election.

The State Department said the U.S. has determined that Russia had used the Novichok nerve agent to poison Sergei Skripal and his daughter, Yulia, and that sanctions would follow. It said Congress is being notified of the determination, made Monday, and that the sanctions would take effect on or around Aug. 22, when the finding is to be published in the Federal Register.

Those sanctions will include the presumed denial of export licenses for Russia to purchase many items with national security implications, according to a senior State Department official who briefed reporters.

Skripal and his daughter were poisoned by the Novichok military-grade nerve agent in Salisbury in March.

The U.S. had joined Britain in condemning Russia for the Skripal poisoning and joined with European nations in expelling Russian diplomats in response.