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Photo from Ukrinform – UATV
A new United States sanctions package against Russia came into force today.
The new sanctions were imposed due to an incident in Salisbury, where Russia is accused of attempting to assassinate former Russian spy turned double agent Sergey Skrypal and his daughter Julia.
Restrictions released by the State Department on Friday target remaining sources of foreign assistance and arms sales to Russia, and deny any U.S. credit to Russia, including through the Export-Import Bank. The announcement follows the Trump administration’s decision in March to expel 60 Russian diplomats and shutter a consulate in Seattle.
A State Department official said the main impact of the new measures will be on access by Russian state-owned and state-funded enterprises to goods and technology with national security value. The official said the move would hit key parts of Russia’s aviation and oil and gas sectors, among others.
The latest measures appear far less stringent, though, than proposals being considered in Congress, where lawmakers from both parties have urged the administration to take a tougher stance against Moscow.
The ruble has dropped to two-year lows in recent weeks amid growing fears of new sanctions. The currency closed up 1.8 percent on Friday to 67.03 per dollar.
