The intentions of the United States to impose export restrictions on Russian companies is "another hostile step towards Russia."

This was announced to reporters by the press secretary of the Russian President Dmitry Peskov.

“We can only regret that the next outgoing US administration prefers to kick off the already in very bad shape bilateral Russian-American relations.

Each such kick removes us from the moment of normalization and makes it extremely difficult to get out of this tailspin, which is detrimental to our bilateral relations, ”said Peskov.

He also added that the Russian side will properly defend its interests.

On the eve of the US Department of Commerce published a list of Russian and Chinese organizations, in respect of which the US authorities intend to impose export restrictions.

"The Bureau of Industry and Security will adjust export controls by adding a new list of military end-users, as well as the first group of 103 organizations, including 58 Chinese and 45 Russian companies," the US department said in a statement.

The sanctions list includes the Ministry of Defense of Russia, the Foreign Intelligence Service, Rostec, Rosoboronexport, the United Aircraft Corporation, MiG, Sukhoi Civil Aircraft, Tupolev, a special flight unit "Russia", and others large companies in the aviation, space and other industries.

As US Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross noted, this measure "establishes a new procedure for identifying military end users from an appropriate list, designed to help exporters find out if there are such users among their customers."

"The Ministry (of Commerce. -

RT

) understands how important it is to use cooperation with American and international companies in countering the efforts of China and Russia to subordinate US technologies to the goals of their destabilizing military programs," the US minister said in a statement.

As specified in the US Department of Commerce, the "list of military end users" suggests that "for the export, re-export and transfer (within the country) of products, the organizations on the list need a license."

  • U.S. Department of Commerce

  • AFP

  • © Alastair Pike

"The US government has ruled that these organizations pose an unacceptable risk of military end-use of the product or its falling into the disposal of a military end-user in China, Russia or Venezuela," the agency said in a statement.

It is also noted that the “list of military end-users” may be expanded or reduced.

Reaction to Washington's measures

Russian Ambassador to the United States Anatoly Antonov reacted to the announcement of the US Department of Commerce about Washington's export restrictions on Russian organizations.

He said that Washington's actions against the Russian Federation are "destructive".

“They not only undermine the ongoing economic interaction between our countries, but also block any positive perspective.

Unsubstantiated allegations that the flagships of our industry, scientific-production and research institutes allegedly undermine the US national security are absolutely unacceptable, ”the diplomat said.

Antonov also said that such measures by the American side plunge Russian-American relations "into an even greater crisis."

In addition, according to him, "in the anti-Russian zeal in Washington, they decided not to reckon with the interests of their own business."

“They deprive him of the possibility of normal cooperation with Russian partners in very promising areas.

We are talking about civil aviation, precision engineering and instrument making, metallurgy.

It is symptomatic that the administration has categorized even an enterprise in which American capital has been invested.

We are talking about VSMPO-AVISMA, a long-term and largest supplier of titanium for the US aerospace industry, "Antonov said.

🇷🇺🇺🇸 Answers by Ambassador A.I.

Antonov to questions from the media Dear Anatoly Ivanovich, how could you comment on the decision ...

Published by Embassy of Russia in the USA / Russian Embassy in the USA Monday, December 21, 2020

The head of Roscosmos Dmitry Rogozin, on his Twitter page, called the US sanctions "illegal" and also "stupid", since the "military end users" arbitrarily include companies "that were not and are not."

“For example, TsNIIMash JSC is the leading branch scientific institute, it includes the ISS Mission Control Center, where a group of NASA specialists is permanently located.

Should they not know that there is nothing there that could connect this institution with military research?

Or, for example, the Progress RCC, which also in a strange way was included in this sanctions list, ”Rogozin said.

According to him, "these sanctions are harmful, because they will create additional obstacles and irritation in such an important cooperation between Russians and Americans in space, in particular on the ISS."

3. These sanctions are harmful, because they will create additional obstacles and irritation in such an important cooperation between Russians and Americans in space, in particular, on the ISS.



Therefore, in order to preserve our common cause, I demand from the US Government these sanctions against our ...

- ROGOZIN (@Rogozin) December 22, 2020

Dmitry Medvedev, Deputy Chairman of the Russian Security Council, also commented on Washington's plans to impose export restrictions on Russian companies, stressing that "the White House administration was covered with a wave of farewell activity."

“The executive authorities also fell under the distribution, which in itself is stupid, since in any country they are created to govern the state, and not for commercial activity.

Following this flawed logic, our countries need to punish the State Department and generally suspend foreign relations with the Americans, ”Medvedev said.

According to him, "these unsubstantiated restrictions simply block international exchange of goods and freedom of trade, eliminate potential competitors."

--- English text below --- The White House administration was covered with a wave of farewell activity.

We must have time to introduce new ...

Published by Dmitry Medvedev Tuesday, December 22, 2020

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People's Republic of China also responded to Washington's actions.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said that this is "another step by the United States to undermine the rules of free trade and undermine the world's industrial and supply chains to the detriment of the well-being of all Americans and people in other countries."

"They want to increase their market share"

As the American political scientist Malek Dudakov noted, the US sanctions against Russia and China are "part of the US competition with Russian and Chinese firms playing an important role in the world market."

"This is an attempt by Washington to create competitive advantages for its companies and restrict the access of foreign enterprises, American competitors to foreign markets," the analyst said in an interview with RT.

A military expert, senior researcher at the Higher School of Economics, Vasily Kashin, shares a similar opinion.

As he explained in a comment to RT, the measure of the American side is "an element of the US struggle in the field of high technologies."

“It is no coincidence that the main target of the measures introduced is primarily enterprises producing civilian products in the field of dual technologies, for example, the civil aviation industry.

Since, unlike a pure military-industrial complex, such enterprises are much more globalized, they tend to depend more on foreign components, ”the analyst said.

  • Employees in one of the assembly shops of the Progress RCC

  • RIA News

  • © Sergey Mamontov

Kashin said that the decision of the American authorities is directed, among other things, against the MS-21 civilian medium-range aircraft, which is being developed by the Irkut corporation, and the Sukhoi Superjet 100 project.

According to the expert, Washington "is now acting as part of an economic war against Russia and China."

“The United States wants to increase its market share in the field of civilian high-tech mainly due to sanctions against Chinese companies, since restrictions are hitting the Chinese electronics manufacturers, the manufacturers of commercial drones,” Kashin said.

However, at the same time, American business will also be seriously affected by the sanctions against China, Kashin said.

According to him, the PRC for American manufacturers of electronics and equipment for the microelectronic industry "has been a key market for many years."

“Some US companies in China receive tens of percent of their total revenue.

Therefore, the new restrictions announced by the United States Department of Commerce will deal a significant blow to their production and performance, which will be more painful also due to the coronavirus crisis.

But Washington is waging its trade war with such intensity that, apparently, it does not look at these "trifles".

It is much more important to destroy opponents and competitors, even at the expense of your own firms, ”the expert noted.

According to Dudakov, Washington's intention to impose export restrictions against Russian and Chinese companies is also motivated by the fact that "the Trump administration is clearly in a hurry to take as many steps as possible that would shape its presidential legacy."

“There is very little time left for that.

It is clear that Trump will have to leave the presidency in a month.

Therefore, now we will observe extremely hasty steps of the still acting head of the White House in foreign policy, ”the analyst said.

At the same time, Dudakov believes that new US restrictions "cannot significantly affect the development of the military-industrial complex of Russia."

“I don’t think that this will have any particular effect on the Russian military-industrial complex.

I doubt that the countries to which Russia sells export goods, including India and the Middle East, will take into account the American sanctions, ”the expert said.

  • Tribune of the President of the United States

  • Reuters

  • © Hannah McKay

Kashin made a similar position, stressing that "American restrictions will have virtually no negative impact on the development of the military-industrial complex of Russia."

“The bulk of the Russian organizations that the US Department of Commerce has included in the new list are already under the restrictions of the United States.

Companies have long been accustomed to this and have adapted to this, ”the analyst stated.

Dudakov from his side predicted that "the US sanctions policy towards the Russian Federation and China will only get tougher" with the coming of Democrat Joe Biden to power.

“New packages of sanctions will be adopted.

Representatives of the Democratic Party will begin to "take revenge" on Russia, repeating their unfounded theses that Russia allegedly led Trump to victory, "the expert said.

However, Russia and China "both now and in the future can successfully resist these unfriendly moves by the United States," Kashin said.