US Has Prepared New Sanctions Against Russia Over Skripal Case - Reports

The Kremlin has repeatedly dismissed claims about Russia's involvement in the Salisbury attack and stressed that Moscow has been denied access both to the investigation into the incident and to the Russian nationals.

The United States has prepared a draft with new sanctions against Russia in connection with the incident in the British city of Salisbury, Bloomberg reported, citing sources.

According to Bloomberg, the new package of restrictions is awaiting the approval of the White House.

Among the spheres that will be affected by the new sanctions, the Bloomberg sources listed "banking sanctions, prohibition on procurement of defence articles, aid money".

The US Treasury did not immediately comment on the matter.

The first batch of anti-Russian sanctions imposed by Washington in connection with the poisoning took effect in August.

Pompeo Told Lavrov in February of New Anti-Russia Sanctions Over Skripal Case — White House

A White House spokesperson told Sputnik that US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo had notified Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov in February that the United States would impose a new round of sanctions against Russia with respect to the Skripal case.

"As you know, the Secretary of State had a call with Lavrov in February and informed him that the United States will be taking CBW [Chemical and Biological Weapons Control and Warfare Elimination] Act-related action", the official said.

READ MORE: Police Chief Says Unaware of Skripal's Residency in Salisbury Prior to Poisoning

The sanctions concerning the poisoning adopted against Russia in wake of an international scandal where the UK claimed that Russia was responsible for staging an attack on former Russian GRU officer Sergei Skripal and his daughter, who were reportedly poisoned with the military-grade A234 nerve agent. Russia has denied all the accusations.

Although both Sergei and Yulia Skripal are claimed to have recovered from the attack, Russian diplomats working in the United Kingdom say that no one has personally seen them since last March and that the fate of the Russian nationals, therefore, remains unknown.