MOSCOW (dpa-AFX) - Claiming they benefit from the Russian government's destabilizing activities, President Donald Trump's administration has imposed sanctions on several Russian Oligarchs.
The Treasury Department said in a statement on Friday it has designated seven Russian oligarchs and 12 companies they own or control, 17 senior Russian government officials, and a state-owned Russian weapons trading company and its subsidiary, a Russian bank.
'The Russian government operates for the disproportionate benefit of oligarchs and government elites,' said Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin.
Mnuchin accused the Russian government of engaging in a range of malign activity, including the occupation of Crimea, supplying Syrian President Bashar al-Assad with material and weaponry, and attempting to subvert Western democracies.
'Russian oligarchs and elites who profit from this corrupt system will no longer be insulated from the consequences of their government's destabilizing activities,' Mnuchin said.
The Treasury said the targets include individuals who benefit from Russian President Vladimir Putin's regime and play a key role in advancing Russia's malign activities.
The oligarchs targeted include Oleg Deripaska, a Russian billionaire linked to former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort, who has been charged with money laundering in special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation of Russian meddling in the 2016 election.
The Treasury also imposed sanctions on Kirill Shamalov, who is married to Putin's daughter, and Putin adviser Suleiman Kerimov.
Relations between the U.S. and Russia have become increasingly strained recently after Trump ordered the expulsion of 60 Russian diplomats in response to a nerve agent attack on a former spy.
Trump also ordered the closure of the Russian consulate in Seattle due to its proximity to a U.S. submarine base and Boeing (BA).
Russia responded by announcing it would expel 60 American diplomats and close the U.S. consulate in St. Petersburg.
Nonetheless, the White House confirmed Monday that Trump and Putin discussed potentially meeting at the White House in the 'not-too-distant future' during a phone call last month.
(Photo: www.kremlin.ru)
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