U.S. Tightens Russia/Ukraine Sanctions Net
The United States ordered additional sanctions related to Russia and Ukraine on Thursday, saying it aimed to fight evasion and align the U.S. effort closer to its international partners.
The fresh U.S. sanctions come after the European Union and Canada recently stepped up pressure on Russia to ensure it fully implements Ukraine peace accords reached in Minsk in February but regularly violated.
"Today's action underscores our resolve to maintain pressure on Russia for violating international law and fueling the conflict in eastern Ukraine," said John Smith, acting director of the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control, in a statement.
The sanctions freeze any U.S. assets of the individuals and entities and bars Americans from any transactions with them.
The U.S. Treasury Department said it was imposing sanctions on about two dozen individuals and entities, including 13 for supporting evasion of existing sanctions, two entities that operate in the arms sector of Russia and five Crimean port operators.
The sanctions also target four former Ukrainian government officials, members of the ex-Soviet state's leader Viktor Yanukovych's regime, who are already on the EU sanctions list: Andriy Petrovych Klyuyev, Sergey Vitalievich Kurchenko, Eduard Anatoliyovych Stavytsky, and Oleksandr Viktorovych Yanukovych.
The Treasury said the action against the four "supports the Ukrainian government's efforts to target the misappropriation of state assets and demonstrates that the United States will continue to coordinate with the EU on its sanctions lists to the extent possible."
Yanukovych was toppled by a wave of bloody protests and fled to Russia with the help of Kremlin security agents in February 2014.
The Minsk deal, agreed under pressure from the leaders of Germany and France, states that all conditions -- including a complete ceasefire, the pullback of all heavy weapons and the restoration of Ukraine's border with Russia to Ukrainian control -- should be fulfilled by the end of 2015.
The Treasury's Smith said: "Our message is clear: we will continue to act to ensure the effectiveness of our sanctions, which will not be rolled back until the Minsk Agreements are fully implemented."
Source: Agence France Presse
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