The United States and the United Kingdom are considering the possibility of introducing additional sanctions against Russia, attributing to it the use of chemical weapons. Bloomberg reported this with reference to sources, TASS reports.
According to him, various options are being considered from restrictive measures against Russian businessmen to restrictions related to the country’s sovereign debt.
As noted by Bloomberg, London intends to act through the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), prompting it to put pressure on Moscow. The British authorities are also going to discuss the issue of possible sanctions against the Russian Federation with allies in Europe, including France and Germany, in the coming weeks.
The US plans to introduce a second, larger package of restrictions on Russia if it does not agree to certain conditions, agency sources said. We are talking about guarantees that Moscow will abandon the use of chemical weapons and allow inspections of facilities where they are supposed to be located.
It is noted that US President Joe Biden may impose sanctions against Russian businessmen under the Magnitsky Act, which provides for the use of unilateral restrictive measures against Russian officials who, from Washington’s point of view, are guilty of violating human rights at home. In addition, if the United States again suspects Russia of a serious violation of the international ban on the use of chemical weapons, the country’s authorities may resort to restrictions that will apply to the sovereign debt of the Russian Federation, provided that the same measures are taken in Europe.
The US and the UK are consulting each other on new sanctions against Russia. Bloomberg does not yet have comments from the UK Foreign Office and the White House National Security Council.