WASHINGTON – The United States is expected to impose sanctions to punish Russia for poisoning Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny as early as Tuesday, two sources familiar with the matter said.
President Joe Biden’s decision to impose sanctions on Navalny’s poisoning reflects a tougher stance than that of his predecessor, Donald Trump, who allowed the August incident to go unpunished.
Navalny fell ill on a flight from Siberia in August and was flown to Germany, where doctors concluded he had been poisoned by a nervous agent. The Kremlin denied any role in his illness and said he saw no evidence that he had been poisoned.
Sources said Monday, on condition of anonymity, that the United States should act on the basis of two executive orders: 13661, which was issued after Russia’s invasion of Crimea, but offers broad authority to target Russian officials, and 13382, issued in 2005 to combat the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction.
Both orders allow the United States to freeze the US assets of those concerned and effectively prohibit US companies and individuals from dealing with them.
Sources said the Biden administration also planned to act in accordance with the 1991 U.S. Chemical and Biological Weapons War Control and Elimination Act, which provides a menu of punitive measures.
Sources said some people will be targeted in sanctions to be announced on Tuesday, but declined to name or say what other sanctions could be imposed.
They added, however, that Washington would maintain derogations allowing foreign aid and certain export licenses for Russia.
The State Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the possibility of sanctions.
A third source said US action could be coordinated with sanctions that the European Union could apply immediately on Tuesday.
EU foreign ministers agreed on February 22 to impose sanctions on four senior Russian officials close to President Vladimir Putin, in a mainly symbolic response to Navalny’s prison. The EU was expected to formally approve them in early March.
In Navalny’s case, Trump, whose term ended in January, did nothing to punish Russia. Top UN human rights experts said Monday that Moscow was to blame for trying to kill Navalny as part of a model of attacks on critics to eliminate dissent.
After medical treatment in Germany, Navalny, 44, returned to Russia in January. He was arrested and later sentenced to more than 2-1 / 2 years in prison for conditional violations, which he said were overcome.
Last month, Biden called Navalny’s prison “politically motivated” and demanded his release. He promised a new and tough approach to Moscow, saying the United States would no longer be “overthrown” in the face of Russia’s aggressive actions.
Washington and Moscow disagree on a wide range of issues beside Navalny, such as Russia’s military ambitions in Ukraine and Georgia, as well as a cyber attack on U.S. government agencies last year that Washington blames on Russia. . Moscow has denied responsibility for the hacking campaign. (Reporting by Steve Holland, Humeyra Pamuk and Arshad Mohammed; Writing by Arshad Mohammed; Editing by Timothy Heritage and Peter Cooney)