U.S. imposes latest sanctions against Russia for alleged chemical attack

The U.S. government
has decided to impose its latest round of sanctions against the Russian
government for its role in the alleged poisoning of Yulia and Sergei Skripal, a
former double agent for the Federal Security Service who defected and became a
British citizen, U.S. State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert said in an
Aug. 8 statement. The sanctions are in response to the use of the Novichok
nerve agent in an attempt to assassinate Skripal in March, who was with his
daughter Yulia during the attack. The Russian government “has used chemical or
biological weapons in violation of international law,” the statement said. The
new sanctions, details of which were not released, are to take effect following
a 15-day Congressional notification period, she said.

The U.S. sanctions
will consist of further trade restrictions against Russia and could extend to
cutting all diplomatic ties if Russia doesn’t eliminate all its chemical and
biological weapons under international control, the Washington Post reported on
Aug. 8, citing its anonymous sources in the U.S. State Department. If Russia
doesn’t agree within 90 days to halt the use of all its chemical weapons and
allow an inspection to confirm its elimination, additional measures could lead
to halting all diplomatic relations, the report said.

Zenon Zawada: The
announcement of these sanctions ahead of the Trump-Putin summit in mid-July
would have undermined any of Trump’s efforts to find common points of agreement
with Putin. Therefore, their announcement afterwards is convenient and
effectively falls within Trump’s foreign policy strategy of pressuring Putin
with one arm, while try to reach points of agreement and cooperation with the
other arm. In this way, Trump is satisfying both those in the Republican Party
who want to pressure Putin further, and those who prefer improved relations. So
far, this approach has worked to keep the warfare in Donbas at a minimum level,
with only occasional flare-ups.