WASHINGTON, Nov 7, 2018 (BSS/AFP) – The United States said Tuesday it was
preparing more sanctions against Moscow over the attempted assassination in
Britain of a former spy, after a previous round sowed chaos on Russian
markets.
Three months after the United States declared that Russia violated a US law
that seeks the elimination of chemical and biological weapons, the State
Department told Congress in a legally-mandated follow-up that Moscow had not
come into compliance.
“We intend to proceed in accordance with the terms of the (Chemical and
Biological Weapons) Act, which directs the implementation of additional
sanctions,” State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert said in a statement.
She said the State Department was in discussions with Congress, which has
led the push to punish Russia, to determine the exact measures.
British investigators said Russian operatives on March 4 tried to kill
Sergei Skripal, a former intelligence officer and double agent, and his
daughter Yulia Skripal in the English city of Salisbury.
The attack involved Novichok, a military-grade nerve agent developed by the
Soviet Union during the Cold War. The two Russians survived but a third
person died after exposure.
Under the US law, the State Department must slap further sanctions three
months after its initial determination unless a country proves it has
reversed course on chemical and biological weapons, for example by inviting
in international inspectors.
Russia has denied involvement in the Salisbury attacks and has promised
reciprocal measures to all US sanctions.
Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev warned in August that any imposition of
further sanctions would constitute a “declaration of economic war.”
The Kremlin said new sanctions would be illegal and that Russia would
respond with similar measures.
And in comments after Democrats seized control of the lower house of the US
Congress in Tuesday’s midterm elections, Russia said it did not foresee
bilateral ties improving any time soon.
“Rosy prospects for the normalisation of Russian-US ties are not visible on
the horizon,” President Vladimir Putin’s spokesman Dmitry Peskov told
reporters. He insisted, however, that Russia still wanted dialogue with the
US.
– Pressure for quick action –
Lawmakers across the political spectrum have urged a strong response to
Russia, despite President Donald Trump’s avowed affinity for Putin.
Representative Ed Royce, a Republican and outgoing chairman of the House
Foreign Affairs Committee, said the Trump administration needs to act quickly
on new sanctions, adding: “Hesitation only encourages more Russian
aggression.”
“No one should be surprised that Vladimir Putin refuses to swear off future
use of weapons-grade nerve agents,” Royce said in a statement.
“It is unacceptable that the administration lacks a plan — or even a
timeline — for action on the second round of mandatory sanctions required by
US law,” he added.
The first round of sanctions banned exports to Russia of arms and other
products with national security applications and froze any US government
credit guarantees to Russia.
The sanctions announcement in August sent Russian stocks plunging and the
ruble fell to its lowest level against the dollar in nearly two years.
The drop came even though the direct effects of the initial sanctions were
limited, as Russia — the major rival to the United States as an arms
exporter — does not buy US weapons.
The State Department also made a number of exemptions in the sanctions,
such as continuing military trade to allow space cooperation with Russia
including commercial launches.
Russia had already been under sanctions since 2014 over its military
meddling in Ukraine.
Trump has cited sanctions as proof that he is tough on Russia but has
voiced misgivings about punishing Moscow and accused political enemies of
waging a “witch hunt” to prove he colluded with Russia in the 2016 election.
Last month, US prosecutors also indicted seven Russian agents over hacking
operations after The Netherlands said that spies had obtained access to the
world’s chemical weapons watchdog, which is based in The Hague.