Putin Cool to Idea of More Retaliatory Sanctions Against US
Officials familiar with the situation say that the ongoing
tit-for-tat sanctions between Russia and the US are likely over for the
time being, at least on the Russian side, as President
Putin is rejecting calls for more retaliation.
Russia’s Foreign Ministry
urged the US not to
make any more hostile actions either, warning that imposing yet more
sanctions would not serve America’s interest and was an irresponsible
threat to bilateral ties.
As a practical matter, the sanctions on both sides have had little to
no real impact, and even the US sanctions against “wealthy Russians”
were blunted by apparent anticipation on that side, with billionaire
Gennady Timchenko
selling all his shares in a US firm the day before the sanctions came out.
Russia’s central bank
has similarly promised
to back the sanctioned Rossiya Bank, which President Putin suggested he
wants to open an account at now that it is a target. If anything, the
sanctions might serve as a publicity coup for the company.
Read more here
Putin opened an account in blacklisted St Petersburg-based Rossiya Bank,
which was singled out for sanctions by America, and ordered that his
monthly £4,500 salary be paid into the bank.
.jpg)
