The new package of anti-Russian sanctions in connection with the case of Sergey and Yulia Skripaley’s poisoning in Salisbury will take effect in three weeks, on August 26. This was stated in the US Treasury Department.

“The CBW (Chemical and Biological Weapons Control and Prohibition of its Combat Use of 1991. - RT ) Directive will come into force on August 26, 2019, after the period of notification of the Congress required by law,” the statement says.

The ministry clarified that this measure is being taken “due to the State Department’s confidence that the government of the Russian Federation does not comply with the conditions of the law“ On chemical and biological weapons ”.

The statement said that the US Treasury is imposing a ban on certain loans in US banks and will oppose the allocation of Moscow assistance from multilateral development banks.

“The Treasury Department will also ensure that the US policy of countering the provision of assistance to the Russian Federation by multilateral development banks is permanent, until Russia's actions comply with the requirements of the Chemical and Biological Weapons Act,” the US agency said.

As Sergey Tsekov, a member of the Council of the Federation Committee on International Affairs, noted in an interview with RT, Washington is now “in captivity” of the sanctions it imposed against Russia.

"The United States can no longer refuse, they are in captivity of the sanctions they impose on Russia, they can not stop, including because the sanctions do not achieve results," the senator believes.

The parliamentarian added that instead of looking for evidence in the Scripal case, Washington simply demonstrates political support for London based on foreign policy reasons.

“Instead of demanding evidence of what happened in Salisbury, they express solidarity with a country that they consider to be an ally,” the politician believes.

Tsekov stressed that such a sanctions policy is unacceptable in the conditions of the modern world.

“If there are any conflicts, they need to be resolved through negotiations, you must be able to hear the other side, analyze all sources of information,” concluded the senator.

  • Washington State Department Building
  • AFP
  • © Alastair Pike

The second package of sanctions

Earlier it was reported that new restrictive measures by Washington will come into force on August 19. The State Department announced the relevant plans on August 3. We are talking about a new package of measures, first approved in Washington in August 2018.

"The United States announces a second package of sanctions against Russia for the use of the Novice nerve agent while trying to kill Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia Skripal in the United Kingdom (Great Britain) on March 4, 2018," the published document noted.

The State Department is confident that "these actions put thousands of lives in Salisbury and Amesbury at risk and led to the hospitalization of Skripale, a British policeman and two civilians, one of whom later died."

The new set of restrictive measures extends to the state debt. The US also demanded that international financial organizations refuse to provide loans to Moscow. In addition, American banks were banned from participating in the primary placement of Russian sovereign debt, not denominated in rubles, and lending to the Russian government in rubles.

In addition to this, restrictions are imposed on the export to Russia of a number of materials, goods and equipment, the turnover of which is controlled by the US Ministry of Trade. According to the State Department, the new sanctions can reduce the mutual commercial relations of Moscow and Washington by billions of dollars.

The US Treasury explained that the new sanctions against Russia do not apply to state-owned companies. Thus, the directive on restrictions applies only to ministries, agencies and the "sovereign fund", to which the departmental documents include the Central Bank of Russia and the National Wealth Fund and the Russian Ministry of Finance.

  • Representatives of emergency services on the spot where they found Sergei and Yulia Skripaley, March 2018
  • Reuters
  • © Peter Nicholls

Recall the incident in the British Salisbury occurred in March 2018. The ex-Colonel of the GRU Sergey Skrypal and his daughter Julia were found in an unconscious state not far from their home. Almost immediately, the United Kingdom accused Russia of poisoning Skripale. Subsequently, this position was supported by the United States and several other countries.

Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on August 4 that the new US anti-Russian sanctions on the Skripale case are “the most powerful evidence” that the piece of history on this case presented by official London is invented and provocative. Such an opinion was expressed by the diplomat on the program “Sunday Evening with Vladimir Solovyov” on Russia-1 TV channel.

“This is a completely discredited story, and the fact that the sanctions were taken now, after so much time, when there is not only evidence on the table, but the table doesn’t have Teresa May, and the sanctions are still going on,” Zakharova said.