US to announce new sanctions against Russia on January 29
The US is planning to announce the new sanctions against Russia on January 29, the Russian state news agency TASS cites US Ambassador Jon Huntsman as saying.
According to Hunstman, a report will be prepared by that time within the framework of the Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act.
Huntsman told the news agency that the authors of the report have made an effort to take into account “how the new sanctions will reflect on Russia-US relations not only in the short term, but in the long term”.
Washington is expected to place new sanctions on Russia in correction with Russia’s alleged interference in the 2016 US Presidential elections.
Russia has repeatedly denied the accusations of interference.
Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov called the new sanctions an attempt by the US to influence the internal situation in Russia, especially leading up to Russia’s presidential elections.
The end of January is the final deadline for the US administration to implement a number of points of the act to expand upon the sanctions against Iran, Russia and North Korea, which was adopted last summer. Notably, the administration is to provide Congress with a report on corruption in the Russian government, and a list of individuals in President Vladimir Putin’s inner circle, who could fall under sanctions in the future. The act requires that a list be drawn up of state officials, leaders of state companies, organizations, persons involved in human rights oppression in Russia and support of Russian aggression towards Ukraine.