Kremlin says new sanctions ‘echoes of unfriendly signs’
In early August, after considerable delay and with minimal fanfare, President Donald Trump signed into law a measure that required the new sanctions, which target individuals and firms with ties to Russian defense and intelligence agencies.
Under the law, companies that “knowingly engage in a significant transaction” with people or firms on the list could be subject to U.S. sanctions after Jan. 28.
The law gave the administration until Oct. 1 to produce a list, and the White House has been under mounting pressure from Congress to do so after it missed that deadline. Late Thursday, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson authorized officials to release the list to key members of Congress.
On Friday, Dmitry Peskov, the spokesman for Russian President Vladimir Putin, told reporters on a conference call that the new sanctions had “echoes of hostility” in them.
“These are echoes of unfriendly signs, to be precise, even hostility against our country,” Peskov said.
The exchange provided further evidence of the deteriorated state of relations between Russia and the United States. Despite initial celebrations in Russian political circles after Trump’s election, the Kremlin has been disappointed by the lack of improvement in Moscow-Washington ties.
Peskov pointed the finger at Washington for not doing its part, saying that while Russia was ready for better ties, Washington seemed “not so steady.”
“However, we will be patient and continue to be committed to a constructive approach,” he added.
The sanctions list, which has not been made public, covers more than two dozen Russian defense companies, including the Kalashnikov Group, the maker of the AK-47 automatic rifle.
Igor Pshenichnikov, an expert at the Russian Institute for Strategic Studies, told the Russian news agency TASS that the inclusion of so many defense industry companies indicated that the U.S. was “making every possible effort to take over the global arms market.”
“It is an example of unfair and obnoxious competition,” Pshenichnikov said.
Implementing the new sanctions could present complicated issues. Turkey, a NATO ally, plans to buy an anti-aircraft defense system from Russia. Saudi Arabia has been negotiating a similar purchase. Such purchases could put both countries in violation of the new rules.
In a recent interview with CNN, Tillerson said that State and Treasury department officials were working on detailed guidance for how the new sanctions would work.
“We are being very careful,” he said, “because there are business entities that need guidance; there are important allies and partners in NATO, other parts of the world, who need specific guidance so that they do not run afoul of the sanctions act.”
In a joint statement, Sens. John McCain, R-Ariz., and Ben Cardin, D-Md., who have been among the leaders in Congress on the sanctions issue, praised the administration for taking a first step but warned that recent cutbacks at the State Department could hamper the sanctions.
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