Anthony Blinken
US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken supported the decision of the European Union to introduce new personal sanctions against Russia. This was reported by the press service of the State Department, TASS reports.
According to the report, Blinken welcomed the EU's decision to impose restrictions “for violation of human rights in response to actions taken against Alexei Navalny ( founder of the Anti-Corruption Fund, included by the Ministry of Justice in the register of organizations performing the functions of a foreign agent ) and his supporters.”
In addition, the US Secretary of State emphasized the importance of close cooperation with European countries to “solve global problems based on common values such as democracy, human rights and multilateralism.” He added that the United States is committed to rebuilding, revitalizing and enhancing the relationship between the American and European sides.
Earlier, the Council of the European Union decided to impose sanctions against persons associated with the conviction of Alexei Navalny. The Russian Foreign Ministry said the move was disappointing and called the pretext for sanctions far-fetched.
On February 2, the Simonovsky Court of Moscow replaced Navalny's suspended sentence with a real one for violating the conditions for observing the probationary period in the Yves Rocher case. The Federal Penitentiary Service asked to appoint him a sentence of imprisonment in a colony for a period of 3.5 years. Navalny was charged with 60 violations of public order after a suspended sentence. He will stay in the colony for 2 years and 8 months, taking into account the year spent under house arrest during the preliminary investigation of the Yves Rocher case.
