Russia to Soften Plan for Retaliation Against US Sanctions

Russia’s parliament plans to adopt a bill on counter-measures to U.S. and European Union sanctions this month after softening the initial draft to remove language that had targeted specific sectors and products ranging from medication to aerospace.

The bill will pass the first reading in the parliament next week and will then be amended before the second reading to exclude specifics, Alexander Zhukov, deputy speaker of the State Duma, told reporters after lawmakers met with experts on the issue. The law will be aimed at “countering damage to Russian citizens and the Russian economy,” Zhukov said. Separately, the parliament will appeal to the government to include aid to companies hit by U.S. sanctions in the three-year budget plan.

The initial draft of the counter-sanctions law was released shortly after the U.S. imposed restrictions on major Russian companies and business tycoons on April 6, sending the ruble into a slide. The parliament’s plan called for restricting imports of American farm, pharmaceutical and technology products, as well as Russian cooperation with the U.S. in aviation, space and nuclear energy. It also allowed hikes in fees for flights over Russia, restrictions on visas for U.S. professionals and violations of U.S.-owned trademarks.

But the Kremlin put the brakes on the plan, hoping to prevent another round of escalation in tensions with the U.S.

The bill also drew public criticism, raising fears that it may harm domestic producers and ordinary citizens, especially from a ban on pharmaceutical imports.

“We need to be able to choose the right retaliation that would be most beneficial to the Russian economy and wouldn’t harm the well-being or health of citizens,” Sergei Zhigarev, head of the Duma’s economic policy committee, told reporters.

The lawmakers have also agreed to drop a proposal to limit U.S. workers in Russia, Yaroslav Kuzminov, rector of the Higher School of Economics in Moscow, told reporters.

“In this war of sanctions, we are not fighting the American people or the people of the European Union,” he said.