Stricter anti-Russian sanctions approved by U.S. Senate to have no grave implications for Russian economy - State Duma
MOSCOW. June 15 (Interfax) - The additional sanctions imposed on Russia by the U.S. Congress will complicate the lifting procedure, however, there will be no grave implications for the Russian economy, State Duma deputies said.
"This is the first time all sanctions imposed on Russia are incorporated into a single bill and a condition is set that the lifting of any sanction shall require a congressional approval, so yes, this is actually a radical tightening of the sanctions," State Duma Education Committee Chairman and foreign policy expert Vyacheslav Nikonov told Interfax.
"The sanctions have not been imposed as of yet, the decision has been made by the U.S. Senate while the Administration has not spoken up, so this is just the beginning of the implementation of a new series of sanctions. Of course, the sanctions will markedly tighten in a whole number of areas, through additional restrictions on our oil companies and, primarily, the defense sector they hold responsible for backing up the al-Assad regime, while, in fact, this is an unlimited enlargement of sanctions," he said.
No matter what sanctions the United States imposes in the end, Russia will give a symmetric or asymmetric response, Nikonov said.
In turn, First Deputy Chairman of the State Duma Committee on Constitutional Law and State Development Mikhail Yemelyanov believes that the new package of U.S. sanctions will have no serious impact on the Russian economy.
"Their significance is rather political than economic. The U.S. elites are trying hard to thwart the Trump Administration's effort to normalize relations with Russia; they see Russia as the primary adversary, and [...] economic implications will be insignificant, as the sanctions will apply to a limited number of banks and energy companies and will have no global effect on capital flows," Yemelyanov told Interfax on Thursday.
Russia has adjusted to the sanctions, it is gaining funds in the Middle East and the Far East and is mobilizing its own resources, he said.
The U.S. Senate approved an amendment on Wednesday to tighten the anti-Russian sanctions and to prohibit the president to alleviate those restrictions in the future at his own initiative.