Extension of US Sanctions Unlikely to Harm Russian Companies – Russian Senator

The possible tightening of the US sanctions against Russian enterprises is unlikely to have an impact on the Russian economy as it does not impact the banking sector, the deputy chair of the Federation Council's Committee on Economic Policy, Sergey Kalashnikov, told Sputnik on Thursday.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) — On Wednesday, a group of US senators prepared a bill on extending sanctions against Russian companies. The bill includes introducing new sanctions affecting mining, metallurgy and railroad sectors of the economy. Senators stated that they are considering such measures due to Russia’s actions in Ukraine and Syria, as well as alleged cyber espionage.

"The existing scale of sanctions covers the real sector, and the sector where they could harm us is the banking sector," Kalashnikov said, adding that the extension of the list of sanctioned enterprises will not hinder the economic development of Russia.

The Russian senator added that the US policy of sanctions is a relic of the past.

“The US Senate still cannot forget the Cold War. It is a remnant of the 20th century, but not a thing of the 21st,” he stressed.

The United States and the European Union, as well as several other countries, have imposed several rounds of sanctions on Russia since 2014 over its alleged interference in the conflict in the eastern Ukraine and Crimea's reunification with Russia. Moscow has repeatedly denied meddling in the conflict in eastern Ukraine.