UK Foreign Secretary Hunt Praises US for Announcing New Anti-Russia Sanctions

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - UK Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt on Thursday thanked the United States for announcing new Skripal-related sanctions against Russia.

"If we are going to stop chemical and biological weapons — including nerve agents — becoming a new and horrific 21st cent norm states like Russia that use or condone their use need to know there is a price to pay. Thank you USA for standing firm with us on this," Hunt tweeted.

On Wednesday, the US administration announced new sanctions against Russia because of its alleged use of chemical weapons in Salisbury, a claim strongly rejected by Moscow.

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According to media reports, the first package implies a complete ban on the export of electronic devices and dual-use components to Russia, the second package may include a decrease in the level of diplomatic relations, a ban on flights of Russia's Aeroflot carrier to the United States and almost complete suspension of US exports. Russia can avoid the second wave if it guarantees the non-use of chemical weapons in the future, the US State Department noted.

The alleged chemical attack against ex-GRU officer Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia Skripal in Salisbury last March sparked a major diplomatic clash between Moscow and London. British officials accused Russia of being behind the incident, triggering a wave of expulsions of Russian diplomats in Europe and the US. Moscow has repeatedly denied the accusations, pointing out that no evidence linking Russia to the case has been presented.