June 04, 2018•Update: June 05, 2018
By Elena Teslova
MOSCOW
Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday signed into law countermeasures against U.S. sanctions on Russia announced in April.
The law entitles the Russian president, government, and Security Council to put sanctions on the U.S. and its allies, organizations individuals under U.S. jurisdiction and subordinate to the U.S., according to the legislation, published on a state database.
As there no specifications regarding the domains or types of sanctions, the law gives President Putin the power to define the details. The only limitation foreseen by the law is that no sanctions can be applied in domains or on goods considered of vital importance and whose are not produced in Russia or other countries.
The sanctions slapped under the law can be if the reasons, which provoked their introduction cease to exist, presumably meaning the U.S. sanctions.
Originally, the sanctions bill implied limitations of imports of U.S. agricultural, pharmaceutical, tobacco and alcohol products as well as limiting access to U.S. software and hardware, agricultural products, pharmaceuticals, rocket engines, and rare minerals used by aircraft giant Boeing. But later these were taken out to make the bill a framework within which any kind of sanctions could be put.
The U.S. sanctions imposed in April were meant as punishment for Russian meddling in the U.S. 2016 presidential election which brought Donald Trump to power as well as other acts of aggression.
