A new package of sanctions against the state debt of Russian state banks is being prepared in the US Congress. The full text can be found in the documentary base of the American Parliament, where the text of the bill is posted.
There is a complete taboo on any operations with the Russian national debt for all individuals and legal entities of the States. The sanctions were securities with a maturity of more than 14 days, issued by the Ministry of Finance, the Central Bank of Russia or the National Welfare Fund.
To enter or not to enter - what is the question
Also under the ban were the bonds of the largest banks. All operations with them are blocked. Transactions with the assets of these organizations are also prohibited.
The US calls the new sanctions a response to the poisoning of Sergei Skripal. The document notes that this package is intended to limit "the attempts of the Russian government to violate international laws."
The April sanctions list has already included top managers of Russia, officials and businessmen. The US Treasury Department noted in its February report that the expansion of bans on Russian bonds of new issues will destabilize international financial markets.
It was reported to Congress that the likely sanctions pose too great a threat to American business. In fact, the Ministry of Finance opposed the introduction of new bans. True, the document notes that Russia itself will suffer considerable harm.
The budget, economic growth and financial markets of the country will be under threat. At the same time, international investors will suffer noticeable damage.
Where does it all lead
The American authorities did not publish the document anywhere, and they were not obliged to do so. The Bloomberg agency released the report.
The unclassified part has six pages. The main thing is arranged in the final half of the sheet. By and large, the report of the Ministry of Finance does not contain any opinions on the advisability of expanding anti-Russian sanctions.
However, de facto it is clear that for the whole world, and not just for Russia alone, the likely consequences may be too noticeable. The report, published by Bloomberg, eventually became a messenger that the administration of the President of America is against the direct extension of sanctions to the Russian government.
After the publication of the report, we can talk about the implementation of the least negative forecast possible for the US administration. The Congress is confident that the new bans will force the sanctioned government to change the monetary strategy and lead to the destabilization of the country's financial market. However, no confirmation of the conclusions is provided.
Outweigh the consequences that are not too desirable for the States. So, retaliatory measures are quite likely. Russia is a major holder of US bonds. And it's not a fact that the European Union will try to join such measures. Efforts to maintain unity on sanctions will be at stake.
As a result, the report of the Ministry of Finance did not say anything new. The most interesting can be hidden in the secret section.
