The U.S. Released the 'Kremlin Report' on Individuals Close to Putin

On Tuesday, January 29, the U.S. Treasury Department published the 'Kremlin Report,' listing dozens of officials and individuals who have gained wealth and power due to their connections with Vladimir Putin, the President of Russia. Previously, speculation had circulated in the media about sanctions against 300 oligarchs and individuals close to Putin, but the U.S. Treasury states that these individuals are not on the U.S. blacklist; rather, it serves as a warning for those individuals and companies that have significant economic ties with U.S.-sanctioned Russian entities. The 'Kremlin Report' includes the names of 114 senior government officials along with 96 Russian oligarchs, each with a net worth exceeding one billion dollars. Among those listed are Dmitry Medvedev, the Prime Minister, and Sergey Lavrov, the Foreign Minister. These individuals may become targets of Washington's restrictive actions in the future. In response to the release of this list, Vladimir Putin described the U.S. action as 'hostile.' According to the official news agency Sputnik, he jokingly said, 'I was disappointed that my name was not on this list.' On Tuesday, the Russian President stated that although he considers this U.S. action 'hostile and against the relations between the two countries,' as long as there are individuals on the other side who seek to improve relations, Russia wants to have better relations with the U.S. Putin also mentioned that Russia has retaliatory measures against the U.S. planned but has held off for now. He added that the international community would breathe easier if mutual respect between the two nuclear superpowers is observed. The U.S. Congress had requested the government to publish a list of individuals and companies that violated U.S. sanctions against Russian companies and entities by the end of Monday, January 29. Meanwhile, the U.S. State Department reported that previous sanctions have had an impact, and there is no need for immediate sanctions against new individuals and companies. Last year, the U.S. Congress passed a law due to 'Russia's interference in the U.S. presidential elections,' which was signed by President Donald Trump in August. According to this law, the State and Treasury Departments were required to deliver a list of Putin's close circle and oligarchs to Congress and impose new sanctions against them and Russian companies by the end of January. However, Heather Nauert, the spokesperson for the State Department, stated shortly after the release of the 'Kremlin Report' that previous sanctions have impacted Russia, leading foreign companies and governments to cancel billions of dollars in arms contracts with Russia, and there is no need for new sanctions. Last week, the U.S. also imposed new sanctions against several Russian individuals and entities. Besides a few senior officials from the Kremlin, the government, and the State Duma, the names of executives from Russian oil giants including Gazprom, Lukoil, Tatneft, and Novatek are also on the U.S. list. Almost all of these companies have signed agreements with Iran to develop oil and gas fields, and on Monday, Bijan Namdar Zangeneh stated that Gazprom is expected to deliver the results of its studies on four gas fields in Iran to the Ministry of Oil by the end of the current Iranian year. The Russian state news agency Sputnik reported, citing Alexei Chepa, Deputy Chairman of the State Duma, that 'the recent U.S. action could severely jeopardize the relations between the two countries and have very bad consequences.' The Deputy Foreign Minister of Russia also accused the U.S. on Monday of intending to 'directly influence' the election results in the upcoming presidential elections scheduled for late March.