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Moscow is working on response to new US sanctions — diplomat

On April 6, the US authorities announced imposition of sanctions against a number of Russian officials, businessmen and companies

MOSCOW, April 12. /TASS/. Russia is working on its response to the new anti-Russian sanctions of the United States, Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov told TASS.

"They [retaliatory measures on US sanctions] are being hammered out," he said.

He stressed that Moscow is not scared by the sanctions that were imposed on April 6.

Ryabkov drew attention to the attempts by the anti-Russian forces, in particular in the US Congress, to "go even further."

"This is a rather disturbing trend," the Russian Deputy Foreign Minister said.

According to Ryabkov, the US new anti-Russian sanctions showed the abuse of the role of the dollar as a global reserve currency and neglect of business interests.

"By taking these measures, the US showed that their entire system, the internal system, continues to evolve in a direction that radically differs from the foundations of the American social order, we have known for decades: neglect of business interests, abuse of the role of the dollar as the global reserve currency, imposing their own approaches to economic operators often in the detriment of their own interests," the high-ranking diplomat told TASS.

On April 6, the US authorities announced imposition of sanctions against a number of Russian officials, businessmen and companies.

The Russian businessmen who were placed on the new US restrictions list include Gazprom CEO Alexei Miller, VTB head Andrei Kostin, owner of Renova Viktor Vekselberg, Surgutneftegaz CEO Vladimir Bogdanov, Sibur board member Kirill Shamalov, and businessmen Igor Rotenberg, Oleg Deripaska and Suleiman Kerimov.

Among the companies slapped with the latest sanctions are several enterprises belonging to Oleg Deripaska. Among them are Agroholding Kuban, Evrosibenergo, RusAl, Russian Machines Holding and GAZ Group, B-Finance investment company, Basic Element holdings and En +.

The list also includes Viktor Vekselberg’s Renova, Kirill Shalamov’s Ladoga Management, the Russian Financial Corporation (owned by Rosoboronexport, Russia’s defense export agency), NPV Engineering and Rotenberg's Gazprom Drilling.

The sanctions imply that the assets of these companies are frozen. Before May 7, US investors should get rid of the securities of three of the 12 Russian companies from the list, and by June 5 - to cancel contracts with all enterprises subject to restrictions and their subsidiaries.