US announces second package of sanctions against Russia
(Baonghean.vn) - A series of new sanctions against Russia will be implemented from August 3 in connection with the poisoning of former double agent Sergei Skripal in the UK last year.
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| The US announced a second package of sanctions against Russia. Photo: AP |
The new sanctions will prohibit international financial institutions from extending any loans, financial assistance, or technical assistance to Russia, and restrict US banks from financing Russia’s foreign debt, a State Department spokesperson said. The US will also restrict exports of certain products and technologies to Russia.
Earlier, US media reported that US President Donald Trump had signed an executive order imposing sanctions on Russia in connection with the poisoning of former spy Skripal and his daughter Yulia with a nerve agent in the UK in April 2018.
Immediately afterwards, the Russian Foreign Ministry issued a statement expressing regret over the US move, saying that these sanctions harmed the already strained bilateral relationship.
The poisoning of former Russian double agent Sergei Skripal in the UK in March 2018, which London accused Russia of involvement and Moscow firmly denied, has caused tensions between the two countries to escalate.
The UK has cancelled all high-level bilateral meetings with Russia in 2018, expelled 23 Russian diplomats, and canceled visits by British ministers and members of the Royal Family to Russia to watch the 2018 World Cup.
Not only that, the poisoning of double agent Skripal also caused the relationship between Russia and the West to decline. At the request of the UK, Western countries expelled hundreds of Russian diplomats, in response Moscow also expelled an equivalent number of diplomatic staff from many member countries of the European Union (EU) and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO)./.
