US to impose sanctions against Putin's friends: Sechin's business at risk
- 15.04.2014, 13:48
Rosneft's CEO has been put on the new US sanction list.
The list has not been published yet, The New York Times learnt from a source in the White House, RBC reports.
The list was ready last weekend. US President Obama already warned Russian leader Vladimir Putin about the sanctions, the newspaper writes. The list will target both individuals and companies. In particular, the newspaper writes, the sanctions can hit “one Russian institution that is deemed part of the so-called crony network supporting Mr. Putin”. The name of the institution hasn't been revealed.
As for Igor Sechin, his Rosneft company cooperate with western firms. The newspaper's source says Obama doesn't have plans to place more crippling measures on whole sectors of the Russian economy unless the Kremlin escalates its actions in Ukraine. The West threatened to impose new sanctions against Russia after the situation in Ukraine's southeast had escalated in early April.
According to previous reports, Igor Sechin and Alexey Miller, heads of Russia's largest companies Rosneft and Gazprom, can be hit by sanctions, which the EU plans to slap against Russia due to its actions in Crimea. By the way, opposition member Alexei Navalny mentioned Sechin and Miller in his recommendations to the West on how to influence Russian president Vladimir Putin.
Rosneft CEO Igor Sechin said earlier the imposed sanctions would not affect his company's projects. Nevertheless, Sechin will purchase Rosneft's shares in the light of possible sanctions. The company also plans to protect its assets in Ukraine.
The US and the EU earlier approved sanctions against Russia for its actions in Crimea. Washington and Brussels named the persons, whose foreign accounts and assets would be frozen and who will be banned from travelling. Japan also introduced sanctions against Russia.
The US sanction list includes deputy prime minister Dmitry Rogozin; MPs Yelena Mizulina and Leonid Slutsky; president's aide Vladislav Surkov; president's advisor Sergey Glazyev; chairwoman of the Council of Federation Valentina Matviyenko; the Council of Federation's member and head of the Federation Council committee of constitutional law, judicial and legal affairs Andrei Klishas. It also includes four Ukrainians: ousted president of Ukraine Viktor Yanukovych; initiator of the organisation Ukrainian Choice supporting the idea of Ukraine's federalisation Viktor Medvedchuk; speaker of the Crimean parliament Vladimir Konstantinov; head of the Crimean government Sergei Aksyonov.
The EU list has 21 persons – 13 Russian citizens and 8 Ukrainian citizens.