Moscow: Europe's Sanctions Against Russia Are Politically Motivated

Moscow on Saturday, August 14, described the European Union's decision to sanction Russia's Deputy Minister of Energy and several Russian companies as 'political maneuvering and illegal.' According to Reuters, on Friday, the EU imposed new sanctions on Russia due to the delivery of gas turbines by Siemens to the Crimean Peninsula. The EU had imposed a series of sanctions on Russia in 2014 following the annexation of Crimea. The EU states that the new sanctions were imposed due to violations of previous sanctions. Following the annexation of Crimea by Russia, the EU included trade and investment in the region under its sanctions. Siemens of Germany claims to have evidence that all four turbines delivered for a project in southern Russia were transferred to Crimea. Andrey Cherezov, the Deputy Minister of Energy, along with two others and three Russian companies allegedly involved in this transfer, have been placed on the EU's blacklist. Previously, 150 individuals and 37 Russian entities were on the EU's sanctions list due to the Ukraine conflict. For political and economic sanctions to be applied, all 28 member states of the EU must vote in favor, and according to a source familiar with the matter, a fourth individual was removed from the final version of the proposed sanctions due to Italy's opposition. Reuters cites diplomats in Brussels stating that the fourth individual, a Russian Ministry of Energy official, has direct cooperation with Italy, which led to opposition from Rome. In response to these sanctions, the Russian Ministry of Energy issued a statement on Saturday saying, 'Interference in the dispute between two commercial companies is a violation of international legal norms.' The statement added, 'The Russian Ministry of Energy has no doubt that the EU made this decision solely for political purposes.' On Friday, the Russian Foreign Ministry also stated, 'The responsibility for this decision (sanction), including potential costs for Siemens and other German and European companies operating in Russia, lies entirely with the EU and the German government.' Meanwhile, while the EU has imposed sanctions against Russia over Ukraine, it has threatened retaliation against Washington due to new U.S. sanctions against Russia. Recently, the U.S. Congress imposed sanctions against Russia for alleged interference in U.S. elections, particularly targeting the country's energy sector. These sanctions put European companies that have invested in Russia at risk of U.S. sanctions. U.S. President Donald Trump, while criticizing these sanctions, signed them into law. This legislation was passed with strong support from both Democrats and Republicans.