Official: US lifts some sanctions from Russian defense companies

MOSCOW, Sep 13 (PRIME) -- The U.S. has lifted some of its sanctions imposed on Russian defense company Rosoboronexport so that the countries are able to cooperate under a helicopter project, Zamir Kabulov, director of the Second Asian Department at Russia’s Foreign Affairs Ministry, told PRIME on Tuesday.

“We supplied 63 Mi-17 helicopters to Afghanistan in the previous year and in the year before that under a contract with the Americans. Moreover, Afghanistan had several dozens of these helicopters more supplied by the Soviet Union. But after the U.S. imposed sanctions on Rosoboronexport, the helicopters, which they bought from us to transfer to the Afghani government, were left unattended, and no one could service them,” Kabulov said.

The U.S. put themselves into a stalemate by their sanctions. “Without lifting of these sanctions there could be no maintenance of these helicopters,” he said.

Now, Rosoboronexport is able to service the helicopters, but the company is not “some charity organization, it will do maintenance on a commercial basis, just like with any other country,” he said.

In 2014, relations between Russia and the West deteriorated to their worse since the Cold War due to a military conflict in Ukraine. The West introduced sanctions against some Russian individuals and firms and further against the energy and banking sectors. In response, Russia limited food imports from some countries, including the U.S., the E.U., Canada, Australia, and Norway.

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