US to sanction Sberbank, tighten limits on other Russian banks
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WASHINGTON - The United States will take new steps on Friday to limit the access of major Russian banks, including Sberbank, to US debt and equity markets to punish Russia for its intervention in Ukraine, sources familiar with the matter said.
The sanctions are timed to coincide with fresh European Union economic penalties, with both sets aimed at the Russian energy, financial and defense sectors.
They are the latest sanctions imposed by the United States and the EU following Russia's annexation of Crimea in March and what the West sees as an effort since to further destabilize Ukraine by backing pro-Russian separatists with troops and arms.
