U.S. Secretary of state Michael Pompeo has notified the Minister of foreign Affairs of Russia Sergey Lavrov on Washington’s decision to use against Moscow a second wave of sanctions in the case Skrobala during a telephone conversation in February of this year

State Department photo by Michael Gross/ Public Domain / Flickr

This was reported on Friday the news Agency TASS the representative of the US administration of high rank

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U.S. Secretary of state Michael Pompeo has notified the Minister of foreign Affairs of Russia Sergey Lavrov on Washington’s decision to use against Moscow a second wave of sanctions in the case Skrobala during a telephone conversation in February of this year. This was reported on Friday the news Agency TASS the representative of the US administration of high rank.

“As you know, from the Secretary of state was in February a telephone conversation with foreign Minister Lavrov, and he was informed that the United States would undertake actions connected with the Law on the control of chemical and biological weapons and prohibiting its use,” – said the representative of the Executive branch of government.

On the basis of this law, the U.S. imposed earlier, the first wave of sanctions against Russia. The same law requires the U.S. government’s use of the second wave of such restrictive measures.

The press service of the US state Department refused to comment on details of the news Agency Bloomberg about the fact that the us government has already prepared a second package of sanctions and waiting for the decision of the White house on this.

“We do not anticipate action on the introduction of sanctions,” – said the representative of the American foreign Ministry.

As reported earlier, the Russian foreign Ministry, Lavrov pointed Pompeo in the conversation held on February 12, that the introduction of a second package of sanctions in the case Skrobala would be completely unjustified.

Earlier Friday, Bloomberg, citing an official U.S. source reported that the new sanctions prepared by the United States, include measures against the banking sector.

According to the Agency, a draft sanctions had been approved by the State Department and the U.S. Department of justice. At the moment a new package of restrictions pending approval of the White house.

It is not clear why the us government still has not officially announced about the readiness of a new package of sanctions. There is no information on how long it will take consideration of these measures, White house says Bloomberg.

4 March 2018 former GRU Colonel Sergei Skripal, sentenced in Russia for espionage in favour of great Britain, and his daughter Julia were in Salisbury, according to the British side, effects of nerve agents “Beginner”.

Later London made a statement that this substance was supposedly developed in Russia, and on this basis accused Moscow of involvement in the incident. The Russian side has categorically denied all the speculation, arguing that development programs “Newbie” neither the Soviet Union nor in Russia did not exist.

The United States has used at the end of August the restrictive measures against Russia because of the case Skrobala in the framework of the American Law on the control of chemical and biological weapons and prohibiting its use from 1991.
Washington first imposed a ban on the supply to Russia of dual-use goods, making some exceptions.

In addition, the aforesaid law provides for the threat of the use of the second wave of sanctions approximately three months after the introduction of the first part of the restrictions.

A second package of sanctions provides for the threat of lowering the level of bilateral diplomatic relations or even the suspension, in fact the complete prohibition of any exports to Russia of American products with the exception of food, and imports United States Russian goods, including oil and oil products, denial of landing rights to U.S. aircraft for any airline, which is controlled by the Russian government, blocking Washington loans Moscow by international financial organizations.

The US administration had previously expressed the hope that by applying these restrictions, described by both sides as “draconian”, it still will not come.