Putin: new US sanctions would not put Russia into a dead end, but bilateral relations will complicate
MOSCOW, June 17. /TASS/. Introduction the United States of new sanctions against Russia will not put the country to a standstill, however, such a policy is harmful to bilateral relations. This opinion was expressed by Russian President Vladimir Putin in an interview with the presenter of the program “Vesti on Saturday” Sergey Brilev.
“It is important to note that no matter what happened, of course, we still have to see what this ultimately will result — but whatever it was and whatever the decisions were adopted overseas, it will not put us in a deadlock,” — said the President of the Russian Federation.
“Something we probably need to be adjusted, something we have to do something to draw more attention, but it’s (tougher sanctions) will not lead to a deadlock or some kind of collapse,” — says Putin.
“But it will, of course, to complicate Russian-American relations,” warned the head of state. “I believe that it is harmful”, he said. “But now to talk about some response (increased sanctions) prematurely, we have to see how it will end”, — the President added.
The project of toughening of sanctions
15 June the US Senate approved a new bill to tighten unilateral sanctions against Russia. The document now needs to take the House of representatives, after which it will be signed by the President of the United States Donald Trump.
First and foremost, the bill provides for a legal level of sanctions imposed in previous years by ex-US President Barack Obama in connection with the situation in the South-East of Ukraine and the reunification of the Crimea with Russia. It will also affect the restrictions that Obama has used at the end of 2016 in respect of Russian citizens suspected by Washington of cyber attacks against American political institutions.
If the bill is signed by trump, specifically those sanctions can be lifted only by making another law, the White house on their own it can not do. In addition, legislators want to deprive the White house right unilaterally to mitigate the sanctions regime.
According to the text of the draft, the President will also have to impose sanctions against those who provide “substantial financial, material or technological support” to the Syrian government.
The US President is given the right “to impose sanctions on those persons who, in his opinion, investing… and also sell, rent or provide the Russian Federation… products, services, technology, information or support” in the construction of pipelines to supply energy resources to export to a certain amount.
In other words, in the Senate want to impose a ban on technological assistance to Russia when creating pipelines.
The us President also will have to make black lists of foreign nationals, “investing significant amounts of money” in Russian projects of oil production if “it is not contrary to the national interests of the United States.”
The leader of the country, according to the initiative of senators will also have to apply sanctions to those who promotes the “privatization of state assets” in the Russian Federation, but in that case, if it allows officials of the Russian Federation, their entourage and their families “illegally profit”. This article can only be applied to those who financially contributes to the privatization, investing 10 million dollars.
Taking the bill, the Senate of the United States prohibits American individuals and companies to conduct transactions of transactions and provision of loans for a period longer than 14 days. Now this limitation is 90 days. Separately spelled out new restrictions, which should relate to the energy companies. The time of the transactions of the American partners, according to the text, not to exceed 30 days.
The reaction in Europe
The bill included the operative article, according to which the United States should continue to oppose the implementation of the project “Northern stream-2” and to give priority to the export of American raw materials.
These measures have drawn sharp criticism from Austria and Germany. Official Vienna and Berlin said that the us lawmakers proposed measures are contrary to international law, threaten Europe’s energy security and harm the settlement of the situation in Ukraine. In addition, in their opinion, the only purpose of these sanctions is to try to push for the European market for American liquefied natural gas by removing from it natural gas from Russia.