US sanctions 19 Indian private firms, 2 Indian nationals for allegedly ‘aiding’ Russia’s war effort

New Delhi(Written by Shubhajit Roy)Adding a new stress point to bilateral ties, the United States Wednesday put 19 private firms from India and two Indian nationals on a list of “nearly 400 entities and individuals” from several countries that will face sanctions for their alleged role in aiding Russia’s war efforts in Ukraine.

This is not the first time that Indian firms have been targeted by US sanctions, but the latest move was the “most concerted push so far against third-country evasion”, a US State Department official told Reuters.

The US action comes at a time when bilateral ties with India are already under stress over allegations of an Indian national’s role in a plot to assassinate Sikh separatist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun on American soil. Raising the stakes last week, the US said it would not be fully satisfied until there is “meaningful accountability” resulting from India’s investigations into the alleged plot that failed.

On Wednesday, while announcing the sanctions linked to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the State Department said: “The United States is today sanctioning nearly 400 entities and individuals for enabling Russia’s prosecution of its illegal war. In this action, the Department of State is imposing sanctions on more than 120 individuals and entities. Concurrently, the Department of the Treasury is designating more than 270 individuals and entities. The Department of Commerce is also adding 40 entities to its Entity List.”

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It said the move aims to disrupt sanctions evasion and target entities in multiple countries, including China, Malaysia, Thailand, Turkey and the UAE, apart from India, for selling “items and other important dual-use goods to Russia, including critical components that Russia relies on for its weapons systems to wage war against Ukraine”.

“Those items include microelectronics and computer numerical control items (CNC) on the Common High Priority List (CHPL), as identified by the US Department of Commerce’s Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) alongside the European Union (EU), United Kingdom (UK), and Japan,” it said.

“The United States will continue to use all tools at its disposal to disrupt support for Russia’s military-industrial base and curtail the Kremlin’s ability to exploit the international financial system and generate revenue in furtherance of its war against Ukraine…the Department seeks to disrupt the networks and channels through which Russia procures technology and equipment from entities in third countries to support its war effort,” it said.(Courtesy Indian Express)

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