Official: US, G7 prepare tougher sanctions against Russia

WASHINGTON, Jun 14 (PRIME) -- The U.S. and its G7 partners are working on toughening sanctions on Russia, Senior Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs Derek Hogan said on Monday.

The official also said that whether assets of the Russian central bank could be used to reconstruct Ukraine, that this issue demanded a solution of many legal obstacles.

Spokeswoman for the White House Karine Jean-Pierre said that the U.S. and its allies want to prevent the sales of grain that the U.S. believes Russia has taken from Ukraine. The official warned the African states against buying grain from Russia.

"We are working with other countries to prevent the sale of grain that has likely been stolen from — from Ukraine," the official said.

Bloomberg reported that the U.S. government is secretly encouraging purchases of Russian fertilizers by local farms and transport companies because of a detrimental effect of sanctions on the food prices.

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