The Case of the Scripals was cast into new US sanctions against the Russian Federation

Washington believed that the Russian Federation uses chemical and bacteriological weapons. Will suffer from new sanctions, Aeroflot, a number of other Russian airlines and Russian industry, living entirely on imported equipment.
09.08.2018
RBC
Origin source
Washington tentatively on August 22 introduces new sanctions against Russia, reports Reuters. The State Department explained that as a result of the use of the "Novice" poison agent in the British Salisbury, Moscow violated international law. According to the 1991 law, the use of biological and chemical weapons by a country entails restrictive measures by the United States.

The restrictions that the US promise to introduce in the coming month are related to the ban on exports to Russia of goods that may be related to national security. It's about dual-purpose electronic devices and their components, including those used in the aviation industry, reports NBC. At the same time, however, in the State Department, they stressed that it was not a question of technology for civil aviation.

The State Department stressed that if Russia does not provide guarantees within three months that it will not use chemical weapons and will not agree to the admission of international inspectors, then a second round of sanctions is waiting for it.

In this case, we will talk about lowering the level of diplomatic relations, banning the airline (in the Russian case it is Aeroflot) flying to the US, and minimizing mutual trade, impeding international financial assistance and refusing bank loans. All this is spelled out in the 1991 law, which until now has only been applied twice: with regard to Syria in 2013 and the DPRK in 2018.

RBC sent a request to Dmitry Peskov, the Russian president's press secretary and the Russian Foreign Ministry.

Aeroflot has not yet responded to RBC's request. Now the airline flies to four US cities: Miami (4 times a week), Los Angeles (daily), Washington (once a week) and New York (daily).

The date of August 22 is due to the fact that on this day the message about the first package of sanctions will be published in the US federal register.

After a report by the British authorities that Russia was involved in the poisoning in the city of Salisbury of the former GRU officer Sergei Skripal and his daughter Julia, the US issued a statement stating that the responsibility for using the "Novice" is likely to lie with Moscow. As a gesture of solidarity with Britain, Washington decided to send a group of Russian diplomats. However, after this accusation against Moscow on this issue from the White House and the State Department was not.

The State Department called Moscow the condition not to introduce a second wave of sanctions

The US State Department expressed hope that before the second wave of sanctions against Russia because of the "case of the Violins" it will not come to pass. However, Moscow must fulfill a number of conditions for this.

During a telephone briefing for journalists, a senior US foreign minister said that Washington hopes that they will not apply the second package of sanctions against Russia in connection with the case of the poisoning in the UK of the former GRU colonel Sergei Skripal and his daughter Julia. However, this can still happen if Moscow does not fulfill a number of conditions, the correspondent of RBC reports.

According to the official, in the next three months Russia will have to provide guarantees that it will not use chemical or biological weapons, and will allow UN inspectors and international independent observers.

The State Department spokesman indicated that the second package of sanctions would mean a reduction in the level of diplomatic relations, a reduction to a minimum of foreign trade, and a ban on Aeroflot flights for US flights. As for the first package, which will be put into effect in the region on August 22, it partly duplicates existing restrictions and provides for a ban on the supply of dual-use products to Russia.

The American official pointed out that there will be exceptions from the first package. So, the sanctions will not concern the supply of equipment for civil aviation and cooperation in the space sphere. The reason for the announced sanctions was the poisoning in the UK of Violin. In London, they believe that the Russian authorities are behind this crime. In Moscow, all suspicions about Russia are considered groundless, demanding that the British provide clear evidence.

Governance

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