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                     Russia Sanctions on US? Not Right Now

   Russian President Vladimir Putin says for now, Russia will hold off on
   imposing sanctions on the United States in retaliation for U.S.
   sanctions against Russia over the Ukraine crisis.
   The announcement came as Russia`s upper house of parlaiment voted
   unanimously Friday to incorporate the Crimea region into Russia. The
   lower house approved the treaty on Thursday, just four days after
   Crimean residents voted in a referendum to break away from Ukraine and
   join Russia. President Putin and Crimean leaders signed the treaty on
   Tuesday.
   U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon is meeting Friday with Ukraine`s
   acting president, Oleksandr Turchynov, and acting Prime Minister
   Arseniy Yatsenyuk in Kyiv for discussions on resolving the crisis. On
   Thursday, Mr. Ban met with President Putin and Russian Foreign Minister
   Sergei Lavrov in Moscow. Mr. Ban said he urged the Russian leader to
   prevent "any unintended incident" in or near Ukraine that could
   aggravate tensions in the volatile region.
   On Wednesday, U.S. President Barack Obama announced further sanctions
   against Russia. Speaking at the White House, Mr. Obama said he is
   penalizing more individuals and a bank involved in Russia`s occupation
   of the Black Sea peninsula. Earlier, the United States limited travel
   and the economic activity of several key Russians involved in the
   Crimea takeover.
   The president also said he is considering more penalties to entire
   sectors of the Russian economy, as well as specific individuals. He
   said those plans are being formulated in conjunction with European
   allies.
   In Brussels, meanwhile, European Union leaders added 12 people -- all
   Russian or Crimean -- to a list of those subject to travel bans and
   asset freezes. The new names were not immediately released, but the
   move raises the number of people subject to EU sanctions to 33.
   Moscow retaliated against the U.S. sanctions with travel bans on nine
   Americans, including Republican Senator John McCain, Democratic Senate
   Majority Leader Harry Reid and Republican Speaker of the House of
   Representatives John Boehner.
   On Wednesday, U.S. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel spoke for nearly an
   hour with Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu. A Pentagon spokesman
   says Hagel asked why Russian troops are deploying along Ukraine`s
   eastern southern borders. The spokesman said Hagel was assured that the
   troops are conducting maneuvers and have no plans to enter Ukraine.
   Ukrainian officials say armed pro-Russian forces seized three Ukrainian
   warships in Crimea`s Sevastopol Bay Thursday.
   Ukraine authorities said Tuesday that Kyiv has drawn up plans to
   evacuate Crimea, and will seek U.N. support in turning the peninsula
   into a demilitarized zone. Ukraine Defense Council Secretary Andriy
   Parubiy also said Ukraine is planning to hold military maneuvers "with
   our allies." He did not elaborate.
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   1876055.html

References

   1. http://www.voanews.com/content/russia-sanctions-on-us-not-right-now/1876055.html