Trump Administration Announces New Russia Sanctions

I remember thinking during the campaign that we were going to have an ‘America First’ foreign policy which would avoid meddling in these overseas conflicts:

“Washington (CNN) – The Trump administration announced new sanctions Friday related to Russia’s occupation of Crimea and ongoing violence in eastern Ukraine, just days ahead of a congressionally mandated deadline for the implementation a separate, broad array of Russia-related sanctions.

In a press release, the Treasury Department said it was designating 21 individuals and nine entities under existing authorities, including Russian government officials and Russian companies connected to projects in the disputed Crimean Peninsula.

The agency also sanctioned senior leaders of two Ukrainian separatist groups, the Donetsk People’s Republic and the Luhansk People’s Republic, as well as people and entities alleged to have provided them with material support. …

Friday’s sanctions, however, fall under four existing executive orders, and are just the latest in a series of actions taken by the administration to put pressure on the Russian government.

Earlier in the day, the State Department condemned the ratification of an agreement between Russia and separatist leaders in Georgia, saying in a statement, “The United States fully supports Georgia’s territorial integrity within its internationally recognized borders.” …”

Seems like a long time ago.

We’ve since imposed sanctions on Russia, armed Ukraine with Javelin anti-tank missiles, reaffirmed our commitment to NATO and authorized $500 million in security assistance to Ukraine. We also appropriated $100 million to the Baltic states “to deter Russian aggression.” Trump’s National Security Strategy also condemns Russia as a ‘revisionist power’.

Note: No wonder neocons are boasting that ‘America First’ is nothing but a slogan.