The Trump administration on Thursday authorized a narrow group of transactions between U.S. companies and Russia’s top security agency that had been shut down by two of President Obama’s executive orders.
The Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control released a note saying that transactions related to the import or use of information technology products by Russia’s Federal Security Service are now licensable transactions. Other cyber-related sanctions implemented by the Obama administration will remain in place.
“Essentially, this will allow companies to get a license to be able to export their technology goods to Russia,” an expert on Russia sanctions told the Washington Examiner.
At the daily White House briefing, spokesman Sean Spicer rejected the idea that the administration was easing sanctions against Russia. He said it’s a “fairly common practice” for Treasury to revise sanctions after they have been implemented. He also rejected the idea that the move represents a “shift” on Russia compared to the Obama administration.
Late last year, the U.S. intelligence community accused the FSB of involvement in the hacking of Democratic political institutions during the presidential election. President Obama responded by making one of his last acts in the Oval Office the decision to expand the scope of cybersanctions against Russia.
One of the entities affected by the expanded sanctions was the FSB, which left U.S. exporters unable to “send their goods to Russia,” as one former OFAC official explained.
The key portion of OFAC’s note said:
Requesting, receiving, utilizing, paying for, or dealing in licenses, permits, certifications, or notifications issued or registered by the Federal Security Service (a.k.a. Federalnaya Sluzhba Bezopasnosti) (a.k.a. FSB) for the importation, distribution, or use of information technology products in the Russian Federation, provided that (i) the exportation, reexportation, or provision of any goods or technology that are subject to the Export Administration Regulations, 15 CFR parts 730 through 774, is licensed or otherwise authorized by the Department of Commerce and (ii) the payment of any fees to the Federal Security Service for such licenses, permits, certifications, or notifications does not exceed $5,000 in any calendar year.
