Bill on ban of energy imports from Russia sent to US Congress

WASHINGTON/LONDON, Mar 4 (PRIME) -- Senators of both chambers of U.S. Congress have submitted a bill envisaging a ban on energy sources imports from Russia due to its military actions in Ukraine and announcement of the state of emergency in the U.S., they said in a statement late on Thursday.

U.S. White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki also said that the U.S. government is considering options to reduce the use of energy sources from Russia, which currently account for around 10% of the imports.

The White House said in a statement that it imposed full blocking sanctions against Russian presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov and seven Russian tycoons including oil pipeline monopoly Transneft CEO Nikolai Tokarev, businessmen Boris and Arkady Rotenberg, state industrial corporation Rostec CEO Sergei Chemezov, state development corporation VEB.RF CEO Igor Shuvalov, Alisher Usmanov, the founder of USM Holdings, which owns Metalloinvest, and their families.

The White House also introduced visa restrictions for 19 more Russian businesspeople and 47 members of their families.

The U.S. Department of the Treasury imposed sanctions against several Russian aircraft maintenance and construction companies.

The U.S. Department of Commerce added 91 organization and individuals to its list of export restrictions against Russia.

The British Foreign Ministry said that the U.K. also slapped sanctions against Usmanov and Shuvalov including assets freezing and entrance restrictions.

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