The US and EU have
bolstered sanctions
against Russia over its
alleged support for
separatists fighting in
Ukraine.
The US has targeted major
banks including
Gazprombank, defence firms
and energy companies
including Rosneft. Russian President Vladimir
Putin was quoted as saying
sanctions would take US-
Russia relations to a "dead
end". The EU said it would
announce details of its
sanctions by the end of July,
but added that its
investment banks would no
longer fund Russian projects. The new round of US sanctions announced by the US treasury significantly
expands previous penalties
by Washington, which were
limited to individuals in
Russia and Ukraine and a
number of companies. As well as major banks and
energy firms, the weapons
manufacturer Kalashnikov
Concern is also on the list. Two self-proclaimed rebel
entities in eastern Ukraine -
the Donetsk People's
Republic and the Luhansk
People's Republic - are also
targeted. Rajini Vaidyanathan, BBC
News, Washington The White House says these
new sanctions are broad,
flexible and potent. The
inclusion of Russia's largest
oil firm Rozneft, which
signed a $1.5bn (£875m) deal with BP, is perhaps the most
eye catching. The question is will they
make the desired impact -
hitting President Putin where
it hurts, and getting him to
"de-escalate" his actions in
Ukraine. This latest set of economic
sanctions follows a round
imposed earlier this year
which the White House says
have hurt Russia's economy.
But they haven't tempered Russia, or President Putin's
resolve. On Tuesday the Pentagon
said it had seen an increase in
Russian troops at the border
with Ukraine. With as many
as 12,000 now there, it
believes Russia is still supporting the separatist
movement in the country. If
this latest set of sanctions
doesn't force Russia to scale
down, what will? Speaking in Washington, US
President Barack Obama said
the sanctions were imposed
because Russia had failed to
fulfil its promises to de-
escalate the crisis in Ukraine. "These sanctions are
significant, but they are also
targeted, designed to have
the maximum impact on
Russia while limiting any
spill-over impact on American companies or
those of our allies," he told
reporters. Mr Obama also stressed US
support for Ukraine, saying
that "Ukrainians deserve to
forge their own destiny". Ukrainian Prime Minister
Arseniy Yatsenyuk has been
visiting areas close to the
fighting Cities across the east have
sustained severe damage The US penalties stop short of
a complete disengagement
with sectors of the Russian
economy - a step that US
officials said was being held
in reserve in case Moscow launches a military invasion
of Ukraine. Mr Putin, on a visit to Brazil,
told reporters: "Sanctions
have a boomerang effect and
without any doubt they will
push U.S.-Russian relations
into a dead end, and cause very serious damage." In Brussels, the EU leaders agreed to beef up their own sanctions against Russia. They said the list of "entities
and persons" affected would
be announced by the end of
July. The EU said it would suspend
new investments in Russia
by the EU's European
Investment Bank (EIB) and
the European Bank for
Reconstruction and Development (EBRD). Meanwhile in Ukraine itself,
heavy fighting continued in
the east. Ukrainian officials said 11
soldiers died in the space of
24 hours. The number of
casualties among pro-Russian
separatists was not
immediately known. More than 1,000 civilians and
combatants have been killed
since mid-April, when
Ukrainian security forces
moved to regain control of
the eastern regions, while tens of thousands of people
have fled. The crisis has led to the most
serious standoff between
Russia and the West since the
end of the Cold War.


http://m.bbc.com/news/world-europe-28338897

Back to the Cold War era!


I doubt President Putin will be fazed or deterred by these sanctions.

He is a stubborn brat.

Danhumprey: Back to the Cold War era!


I doubt President Putin will be fazed or deterred by these sanctions.

He is a stubborn brat.

I like that guy...very cool man.