The Obama administration has piled up pressure on Russia with the imposition of a new round of economic sanctions which freeze the assets of seven Russian individuals and 17 companies associated with them.
Targeting what Washington calls Russian President Vladimir Putin’s inner circle, the Obama administration has signalled that it will continue to ratchet pressure over Moscow over what it sees as its unacceptable adventurism in Ukraine.
The US also unveiled new restrictions on Russia’s import of US goods which are deemed to bolster its “military capabilities.” The 28-nation European Union has signalled its intent to expand its sanctions list to include 15 more individuals.
The April 28 sanctions target heavyweights, including Igor Sechin, the powerful boss of Rosneft, Russia’s leading state-owned petroleum company and Dmitry Kozak, a deputy prime minister. Sechin recently visited a slew of Asian countries as part of Russia’s strategy of forging closer economic and energy ties with leading Asian economies like India.
Moscow has, however, remained defiant, with Russia’s Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov accusing Washington of distorting the issues at stake in the Ukraine crisis. “It is a distorted mirror of foreign policy, not a responsible approach to the situation,” said Mr Ryabkov.
In a telephonic conversation with his US counterpart Chuck Hagel, Russia’s Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu asked him “to tone down the rhetoric” and conveyed concern over an “unprecedented” increase in US and Nato military activity near Russian borders.
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