Kiev Plans to Expand Sanctions Against Russia After EU, US Extended Restrictions

Ukraine's National Security and Defense Council (NSDC) has initiated the expansion of the sanctions list of Russian legal entities and individuals, NSDC Secretary Oleksandr Turchynov, said at a briefing on Monday.

KIEV (Sputnik) — Kiev has imposed several rounds of anti-Moscow sanctions citing Russia's alleged meddling in the Ukrainian affairs. Russian officials have repeatedly refuted the allegations of both Kiev and its Western partners.

"The NSDC made several official instructions. The first instruction to the cabinet of ministers, the SBU [Security Service of Ukraine] and the National Bank concerns submitting proposals to the NSDC in the near future to expand the sanctions list, due to the fact that the US and EU decided to impose new sanctions against the Russian Federation, we can not but take into account these initiatives of our strategic partners," Turchynov said after an NSDC meeting.

In 2014, the EU and the US introduced sanctions against Russia accusing it of alleged interference in the Ukrainian crisis. The sanctions have been prolonged for several times since then. Moscow has denied the allegations and introduced countermeasures against the countries that targeted it with the sanctions.