Hollande, Merkel say back Ukraine ceasefire deal – Elysee statement

The sanctions announcement “also underscores the United States government’s opposition to Russia’s occupation of Crimea and our firm refusal to recognize its attempted annexation of the peninsula”, the Treasury said in a statement.

According to Reuters, the U.S. Department of the Treasury added dozens of people and companies to the list, first introduced after Russian Federation annexed the Crimean peninsula from Ukraine in 2014 and expanded over its support for separatist rebels in the east of the country.

On Thursday, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty reported European Union sanctions would also remain in place for another six months.

“Russia continues to provoke instability in eastern Ukraine despite its Minsk commitments”, he said, referring to the peace agreement meant to halt the war in the Donbass region of Ukraine.

The department said in a release that its Office of Foreign Assets Control had updated its sanctions lists targeting individuals and entities that have played a role in the Ukraine conflict.

The sanctions come as Moscow continues to increase its military presence in the Donbass region, where a series of Russian drills are scheduled for this month. Some 18 companies operating in Crimea, including a number of defense and ship building firms, are also subject to the new sanctions.

Russian companies, including construction firms PJSC Mostotrest and SGM-Most, were added to the US list for their assistance in construction of a bridge from Russia to the Crimean Peninsula. OMZ OAO, a Russian engineering firm, was sanctioned for being linked to Gazprombank, which has been on the US sanctions list since 2014.

As well as multiple subsidiaries of Russian gas giant Gazprom (GAZP.MM) and 11 Crimean officials, the Treasury named seven companies directly involved in the construction of the 19 km (11.8 miles) road-and-rail connection across the Kerch Strait, dubbed “Putin’s bridge” by some Russians.

The announcement comes ahead of next week’s G20 meeting, a gathering President Barack Obama and Putin both are slated to attend.

“The U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control today designated 37 individuals and entities under three Executive Orders related to Russian Federation and Ukraine”, the statement said.

In a statement, the Ukrainian Embassy in Washington praised the USA move.

A source said that ceasefire agreement between pro-Russian separatists and Kiev government troops applying to the front line in eastern Ukraine was signed in Minsk in February 2015.