President of the United States Barack Obama decreed to extend earlier imposed sanctions against Russia over the ongoing developments in Ukraine for another year starting in March, according to Friday’s statement from the White House.
The statement said quoting the US leader that Russia’s alleged involvement in developments in neighboring Ukraine since the spring of 2014 “continue to pose an unusual and extraordinary threat to the national security and foreign policy of the United States.”
“For this reason, the national emergency declared on March 6, 2014, and the measures adopted on that date, on March 16, 2014, on March 20, 2014, and on December 19, 2014, to deal with that emergency, must continue in effect beyond March 6, 2017,” US President Obama was quoted as saying in the statement.
“Therefore,… I am continuing for 1 year the national emergency declared in Executive Order 13660 (issued on March 16, 2014),” Obama said.
A total of three US presidential executive orders were issued in regard to Russia over the developments in Ukraine, namely in March 16 and 20, 2014, as well as on December 19, 2014 on the globally-debated issue of Crimea’s reunification with Russia.
The ensuing sanctions on behalf of the United States hit a number of Russian state officials, businessmen and national companies, as well as officials from the government of former Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovich and authorities of the Donetsk and Lugansk People’s Republics.
President-elect Donald Trump will keep President Barack Obama’s sanctions on Russia for at least the beginning of his presidency, The Wall Street Journal reports.
Trump suggested Russia could get the sanctions lifted if the country was cooperative in helping the U.S. fight terrorism, and if it was generally more amenable.
“If you get along and if Russia is really helping us, why would anybody have sanctions if somebody’s doing some really great things,” Trump declared.
Trump has previously indicated he would like to “get along with Russia.” He also told reporters, “Russia will have much greater respect for our country when I’m leading than when other people have led it”.