President Obama on Tuesday announced new U.S. sanctions on Russia, in response to the downing of Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 earlier this month in an area of Ukraine held by Russian-backed rebels. Obama said the sanctions target "key sectors of the Russian economy: energy, arms, and finance."
Some details from The New York Times:
The latest American actions took aim at more Russian banks and a large defense firm, but they also went further than past moves by blocking future technology sales to Russia's lucrative oil industry in an effort to inhibit its ability to develop future resources. [The New York Times]
Obama's move came shortly after the European Union imposed its own sanctions on Russia, which is suspected of arming the rebels with the sophisticated surface-to-air missile that brought down the airliner. The EU, which has deep economic ties with Russia, had long balked at antagonizing the government of President Vladimir Putin over the crisis in Ukraine, but was compelled to ramp up the pressure after the deaths of dozens of European citizens and the fact that Russia increased its support to Ukraine's rebels in the wake of the attack.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Indeed, the EU's sanctions went beyond what the U.S. had already imposed, forcing the White House to play a bit of catch-up.
-
A crowded field of Democrats is filling up the California governor’s raceIn the Spotlight Over a dozen Democrats have declared their candidacy
-
Nitazene is elusively raising opioid deathsThe explainer The drug is usually consumed accidentally
-
Can medical debt hurt your credit?The explainer The short answer is yes, though it depends on the credit scoring mode
-
Judge halts Trump’s DC Guard deploymentSpeed Read The Trump administration has ‘infringed upon the District’s right to govern itself,’ the judge ruled
-
Trump accuses Democrats of sedition meriting ‘death’Speed Read The president called for Democratic lawmakers to be arrested for urging the military to refuse illegal orders
-
Court strikes down Texas GOP gerrymanderSpeed Read The Texas congressional map ordered by Trump is likely an illegal racial gerrymander, the court ruled
-
Trump defends Saudi prince, shrugs off Khashoggi murderSpeed Read The president rebuked an ABC News reporter for asking Mohammed bin Salman about the death of a Washington Post journalist at the Saudi Consulate in 2018
-
Congress passes bill to force release of Epstein filesSpeed Read The Justice Department will release all files from its Jeffrey Epstein sex-trafficking investigation
-
Trump says he will sell F-35 jets to Saudi ArabiaSpeed Read The president plans to make several deals with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman this week
-
Judge blasts ‘profound’ errors in Comey caseSpeed Read ‘Government misconduct’ may necessitate dismissing the charges against the former FBI director altogether
-
Ecuador rejects push to allow US military basesSpeed Read Voters rejected a repeal of a constitutional ban on US and other foreign military bases in the country
