Trump renews Russian sanctions amid Moscow envoy talks
US President Donald Trump signed an executive order extending by one year the package of sanctions against Russia, which were introduced by his predecessor Joe Biden. About a month ago, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov stated that Russia views all sanctions against it as unlawful and anticipates their removal.
What do you need to know?
- Extension of sanctions: President Donald Trump has signed an order extending the sanctions on Russia that were introduced by his predecessor, Joe Biden.
- Reasons for sanctions: The sanctions pertain to actions by Russia, such as election interference, cyberattacks, and activities threatening US citizens.
- Russia's reaction: Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov described the sanctions as illegal and expressed the hope they would be lifted.
This concerns decree no. 14024 from 15 April 2021, which the Biden administration repeatedly expanded and extended.
Trump extends sanctions imposed by Joe Biden
Initially, the US government imposed sanctions on Russian individuals and entities that, according to US authorities, may have been involved in cyberattacks, election interference in the US and other countries, activities threatening US citizens or leading to their deaths, as well as financial operations and other actions aimed at circumventing the sanctions.
"Harmful foreign activities of the Russian Federation, including: its efforts to undermine the conduct of free and fair democratic elections and democratic institutions in the United States and its allies and partners; engaging in and facilitating malicious cyber-enabled activities against the United States and its allies and partners; fostering and using transnational corruption to influence foreign governments; pursuing extraterritorial activities targeting dissidents or journalists; undermining security in countries and regions important to United States national security; and violating well-established principles of international law, including respect for the territorial integrity of states," the decree reads.
Russia expected sanctions to be lifted
In March, the Russian leader's spokesperson Dmitry Peskov stated that Russia considers all sanctions imposed on it to be illegal and expects their lifting.
The decision to extend the sanctions was made just hours after a special envoy of Donald Trump visited Moscow. Steve Witkoff met with the Russian leader Vladimir Putin. According to the TASS agency, the topic of discussion was "normalising relations between Moscow and Washington and certain aspects of resolving the situation in Ukraine."
