U.S. 'Welcomes' EU's Latest Russia Sanctions

The United States on Monday 'welcomed' the European Union's decision to adopt a 14th package of sanctions on Russia that aims to close some loopholes, TURAN's Washington correspondent reports.

"We welcome the latest package of sanctions announced by the European Union and particularly the focus on addressing support from the PRC and other places for Russia’s defense industrial industry," Ambassador John Bass, Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs, told TURAN's correspondent during a media call organized by the Department's Brussels Media Hub.

He went on to add,  "We’ve seen, unfortunately, over the last two years Russia reconstituting capabilities to produce more weapons, to produce new weapons systems, and they’re able to do that primarily as a result of support from industry in the People’s Republic of China, which, frankly, comes at direct odds from the PRC’s professed neutrality and desire to see an end to this conflict rapidly."

Bass concluded: "So we welcome the strong support from our European allies and partners in complementing U.S. sanctions to try to disrupt these illicit flows of technology and other resources needed to maintain Russia’s war effort and to increase the costs to Russia from its continued prosecution of this illegal war of aggression. "

The EU's 14th sanctions package also hits Russia's gas exports for the first time. The measures stop short of an EU ban on LNG imports, which have risen since the start of the war. The sanctions will take effect after a nine-month transition period.

The new package also aims to limit circumvention of sanctions by creating more responsibility and penalties at member state level for those found flouting the regulations. It adds 116 entities and individuals to the sanctions list bringing the total to more than 2,200.