As Trump advocates for Russia, U.S. imposes new sanctions

WASHINGTON — Citing “malicious” cyber attacks by Russian government agents, the Trump administration on Monday imposed economic sanctions on several Russian companies and people accused of supporting Moscow’s spy networks.

The sanctions came even as President Donald Trump suggested Russia be readmitted to the powerful G-7 group of industrialized nations, which would reverse a decision made after the country’s invasion and annexation of Crimea in 2014.

Although Trump has spoken frequently of making Russia a closer ally, his administration has nevertheless imposed numerous sanctions packages for human rights violations, meddling in the 2016 U.S. election and other acts. By a nearly unanimous vote, Congress ordered some of the sanctions, which Trump then enacted reluctantly.

In Monday’s action, the Treasury Department said it was blacklisting five Russian companies and three Russian citizens, most of whom have supplied material to or worked with Moscow’s Federal Security Service, known as the FSB, the successor to the Soviet Union’s KGB.

All worked on development of “offensive” cyber and underwater capabilities, posing a danger to the security of the United States and its allies, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said.

“The United States is committed to aggressively targeting any entity or individual working at the direction of the FSB whose work threatens the United States,” Mnuchin said.

His comments stood in marked contrast to remarks that Trump made during the summit of the Group of Seven major economic powers over the weekend in Quebec, where he lashed out at traditional allies such as Canada and said Russia ought to be invited to rejoin.

“We have a world to run,” Trump said.

Mnuchin said Russia’s “malign” activities included cyber intrusion into the U.S. energy grid and other infrastructure; an internet-chewing worm called Notpetya that cost several global conglomerates millions of dollars in damages; and the tracking of and possible interference with undersea communications cables that carry most of the world’s telecommunications data.

The blacklisting means any property or assets that the targeted people and companies have in U.S. jurisdiction will be frozen, and U.S. citizens may not do business with them.

Putin, in China for an international conference, did not address the sanctions but focused on Trump’s goodwill. He said he’d be happy to return to the G-7 and looks forward to a separate summit with the American president.