U.S. President Donald Trump has imposed another round of sanctions on Russia over the poisoning of a former spy in Britain, the White House said on Friday, a move Moscow said would hurt already strained U.S.-Russia ties.
Themove came hours before a landmark Cold War-era arms control treaty expired,after Washington withdrew, accusing Moscow of violating it, which Russiadenies.
Washington imposed an initial batch of sanctions last year on Russia after determining that Moscow had used a nerve agent against a former Russian double agent, Sergei Skripal, and his daughter Yulia, in Britain, which Moscow denies.
"Afterthe first round of sanctions in response to Russia's assassination attemptagainst a private citizen in the UK, Russia did not provide the assurancesrequired under U.S. law," said White House spokesman Hogan Gidley.
"Sowe are imposing a second round of sanctions. It's another instance where we'reproving tougher on Russia than previous administrations."
Skripal, a former colonel in Russia's GRU military intelligence service, and his daughter were found slumped on a bench in the southern English city of Salisbury in March last year after Novichok nerve agent was smeared on his front door.
Awoman who lives nearby later died after her partner found the poison in adiscarded perfume bottle and brought it home.
Europeancountries and the United States expelled 100 Russian diplomats after theattack. London has charged two Russian men in absentia. The men appeared onRussian TV saying they had visited Salisbury as tourists.
TheWhite House said on Friday that President Trump had signed an executive order,under which the U.S. government would block international financialinstitutions such as the World Bank from lending to governments subject to U.S.sanctions for using chemical or nuclear weapons.
TheRussian rouble dipped to 65 versus the dollar on Friday for the first time inseven weeks, a fall analysts said could partly be attributed to the reportedsanctions move.
