US Senator McCain Praises New Anti-Russia Sanctions

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) - US Senator John McCain said in a statement on Thursday that he is pleased to see that new sanctions will be imposed on Russia on August 22 in connection with the nerve agent attack against the Skripals, but added that Congress must make sure the measures are fully implemented.

"Good to see State Dept. moving forward with new sanctions on Putin's Russia for its chemical attack in Britain. Congress must continue to exercise strong oversight to ensure these sanctions are swiftly & fully implemented," McCain said in a Twitter message.

The recently introduced restrictions anti-Russian sanctions include a complete ban on the export of electronic devices and dual-use components to Russia, while the next package may also entail considerable US exports restrictions and a decrease in the level of diplomatic relations.

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The US is imposing the new sanctions under the Chemical and Biological Weapons Control and Warfare Elimination Act of 1991 in connection with an alleged nerve agent poisoning on former Russian intelligence agent Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia last March.

London and its allies have accused Moscow of orchestrating the alleged attack, using what UK experts claim was the nerve agent Novichok. Russian officials have denied they produced the nerve agent used in the incident or had any involvement in planning or carrying out the attack. The Skripals have since recovered from the attack, while the UK never provided any evidence in the case.