Obama tightens sanctions against Russia, but Trump remains noncommittal

Share:
Activists demonstrate at a protest against Russian military operations in Syria during a visit by Russian President Vladimir Putin to the German federal Chancellery on October 19, 2016 in Berlin. (Photo: Adam Berry, Getty Images)
Activists demonstrate at a protest against Russian military operations in Syria during a visit by Russian President Vladimir Putin to the German federal Chancellery on October 19, 2016 in Berlin.
(Photo: Adam Berry, Getty Images)

The United States updated and tightened its sanctions against Russia on Tuesday as part of a three-year effort to punish it for its 2014 annexation of Crimea.

The sanctions — targeting seven individuals, eight companies and 26 subsidiaries — were authorized by two executive orders signed by President Obama in 2014. And they come a month before President-elect Donald Trump brings a more Russia-friendly foreign policy to the White House.

Asked last week whether sanctions against Russia would continue in the Trump administration, Trump chief of staff Reince Priebus told MSNBC to “just wait and see.”

The White House said the sanctions were not related to Obama’s threat in a radio interview to retaliate against Russia for malicious cyber activity that he said was designed to interfere in the presidential election. Obama has declined to be specific about his response, saying it will come “at a time and date of our own choosing.”

“Today’s action is in response to Russia’s unlawful occupation of Crimea and continued aggression in Ukraine,” said John E. Smith, the acting director of the Office of Foreign Asset Control, in a statement. “These targeted sanctions aim to maintain pressure on Russia by sustaining the costs of its occupation of Crimea and disrupting the activities of those who support the violence and instability in Ukraine.”
The new sanctions target eight Russian companies. Four are working on the Kerch Bridge and other transportation projects linking Russia with the Crimean peninsula, which Russia annexed from Ukraine in 2014. Another four are accused of providing shipping and fuel supplies to OJSC Sovfracht, a shipping company which was previously sanctioned for operating in Crimea.

Also added to the sanctions list were seven Russian men with links to sanctioned Russian banks and defense industries. They’re accused of helping those institutions to evade previous Ukraine-related sanctions.

The Treasury Department action also authorizes the seizure of two ships, the Marshal Zhukov and Stalingrad, providing fuel shipments to Crimea.
USA TODAY

Share:

Comments

One response to “Obama tightens sanctions against Russia, but Trump remains noncommittal”

  1. 5thDrawer Avatar

    Trump thinks: ‘No reason to commit to anything. Business looks like it’s going along fine as it is, in Israel.
    And who’s going to worry about only 7 individual Russians? Really, I’ve got Mexican Business to think on. Scottish golf course seems ok now too …’

    And Trump displaying his ‘mannerisms’ of having very little ‘couth’ at all … a usual valuable insight of character arriving too late to change any ‘opinions’ – of course.
    https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2016/dec/21/mad-alex-donald-trump-letters-abuse-ex-scottish-first-minister

    I suppose that all the Americans can hope for now, is that the ‘trusted male advisors’ don’t allow him too many chances to write the damn ‘letters of correspondence’, showing the ‘business state of mind’ with little real ‘tech’-knowledgy in it either. They could ALL have used some lessons from the ladies ‘Gabor’, at the least.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *