Russia Dismisses New US Sanctions | WPN World People News

Russia says it has a historic right to Crimea and has dismissed new U.S. sanctions imposed on Russia because of its annexation of the territory.

The Russian foreign ministry said Saturday the sanctions will not force Russia to give up Crimea because Crimea is a "historic and integral part of Russia."

U.S. President Barack Obama has imposed a wide-ranging trade ban on the Russia-annexed Crimea peninsula through an executive order that bars exports of key U.S. goods and services and blocks Crimean imports.

A White House statement Friday said the order is "intended to provide U.S. clarity to American corporations doing business in the region." The statement also said Obama's action is intended to demonstrate that Washington "will not accept Russia's occupation" of Crimea.

Crimea had been a republic in the former Soviet Union but in 1954 was attached to the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic. Crimea remained part of Ukraine when that country became independent at the break up of the Soviet Union.

The trade ban includes sanctions on 24 individuals and companies identified as contributing to unrest in eastern Ukraine. The Russian parliament voted in April to annex the region, despite protests from the European Union and Washington.

The U.S. measures follow similar moves this week by the European Union and Canada.

President Obama on Thursday signed into law a bill authorizing additional sanctions against Moscow for its support of the ongoing pro-Russian rebellion in eastern Ukraine.

Obama said the legislation, known as the Ukraine Freedom Support Act, gives his administration additional flexibility to impose new measures against Moscow, "if circumstances warranted."

The law also authorizes $350 million in lethal and non-lethal military aid to Ukraine, including anti-tank weaponry, munitions and surveillance drones.

The Russian Foreign Ministry, in a statement Friday, described Moscow as "deeply disappointed" in the U.S. law, calling it "unacceptable and provocative."

Source: Voice of America