Russia gives solemn warning over US sanctions bill

Moscow says the recent approval of a sanctions bill at the US House of Representatives is pushing Russia and the US into “uncharted territory.”

Source: PressTV-Russia gives solemn warning over US sanctions bill

PressTV

Jul 26, 2017

Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov (Photo by Reuters)

Russia says the recent approval of a sanctions bill against Moscow at the United States House of Representatives is a serious step toward destroying any chance for the improvement of ties with Washington.

Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said on Wednesday that Moscow had warned “dozens of times” that new sanctions would “not go unanswered.”

He said Moscow was growing tired of exercising restraint and that the sanctions were pushing Russia and the US “into uncharted territory both in a political and diplomatic sense.”

The US House of Representative on Tuesday voted to approve a bill that would slap new sanctions on Russia and force President Donald Trump to obtain Congress’ approval for the potential lifting of any sanctions on Moscow.

The bill would now head to the Senate, and a likely approval there would then send it to Trump’s desk for approval.

The Trump administration has been perceived as friendly to Russia and inherently opposed to sanctions on Moscow. But the administration has recently been sending mixed messages about whether or not Trump would sign the bill into law.

Ryabkov said the vote for the sanctions bill “goes beyond the realms of common sense.”

“The authors and sponsors of this bill are taking a very serious step toward destroying the possibilities for normalizing relations with Russia,” he said.

A prominent member of the upper house of Russia’s parliament, meanwhile, said Moscow should prepare a “painful” response to the move.

“In fact, [the] further degradation of bilateral cooperation is becoming inevitable,” Konstantin Kosachyov wrote in a message on his Facebook page.

The sanctions have been proposed over Russia’s alleged meddling in the US 2016 presidential election, which saw Trump winning the presidency. Moscow is accused of having colluded with the Trump campaign team in an effort to change the outcome of the election in his favor. Moscow has consistently denied the allegations.

An independent investigation is quietly underway in the US to probe the allegations of links between Trump and Russia.

Rouhani: US sanctions will not go unanswered

The Iranian president condemns the US House of Representatives’ approval of fresh sanctions against the Islamic Republic.

Source: PressTV-Rouhani: US sanctions will not go unanswered

PressTV

Wed Jul 26, 2017

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani is seen during a cabinet meeting in Tehran, July 26, 2017. (Photo by president.ir)

President Hassan Rouhani has denounced the US House of Representatives’ approval of a draft law on fresh sanctions against Iran, saying the Islamic Republic would “definitely”​ give a proportionate response to the hostile move.

Speaking during the cabinet meeting in Tehran on Wednesday, Rouhani said, the Iranian Parliament would adopt reciprocal measures in response to the US sanctions.

“And we will take any step that we deem necessary in line with the interests of our country, and we would continue our path without paying attention to their (Americans’) sanctions and policies,” stressed the Iranian chief executive.

Iranian people, he added, are used to “US hostilities” and know well how to counter them.

Over the past 40 years, the Iranians have been subject to sanctions, pressure and false accusations by American politicians and propaganda apparatus, he added.

The US is not only hostile to Iran’s Islamic establishment, but also to the Iranian nation’s resistance, Rouhani noted, stressing that Washington cannot accept the country as a role model for independence in the region.

President Rouhani noted that the US has no other alternative but to pursue peace and respect the Iranian nation’s rights and the Islamic Revolution and the establishment.

‘Decisive response’ awaits US bans

Earlier in the day, Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister for Legal and International Affairs Abbas Araqchi also vowed a “decisive response” to the “hostile” move.

“The measure being taken by the US Congress and the new law being passed against Iran, Russia and North Korea is a blatant hostile act against the Islamic Republic of Iran, which will be met with a decisive response,” he said.

The remarks came a day after the House voted 419-3 for a bill that would levy new sanctions on Iran, Russia and North Korea.

The bill must pass the US Senate before it can be sent to the White House for President Donald Trump to veto or sign it into law.

It targets North Korea and Iran over their ballistic missile programs as well as Russia concerning its alleged meddling in the 2016 US election and the reintegration of the Black Sea Crimean Peninsula.

House Speaker Paul Ryan said the sanctions bill “tightens the screws on our most dangerous adversaries in order to keep Americans safe.”

Read more:

• US House approves Iran, Russia sanctions

Araqchi further said Iran has over the past years faced similar “hostile moves” by the US Congress and government, and that such an approach “is not particular to the current or former governments” in Washington.

The new bill is in fact a “conclusion of previous US sanctions in non-nuclear fields,” he said, adding, however, that it “could affect the successful implementation” of the 2015 nuclear deal, officially called the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).

As a result, Araqchi said, the draft sanctions law “is incompatible with different clauses of the JCPOA, under which the US is committed to implementing the deal with good will and in a constructive atmosphere.”

Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister for Legal and International Affairs Abbas Araqchi

The Trump administration only recently certified to Congress for a second time since taking office in January that Iran was complying with the nuclear accord.

Araqchi said that Washington had no other choice, considering that the International Atomic Energy Agency has confirmed Iran’s compliance with the deal seven times.

He stressed that Iran “will remain patient and make a practical decision in proportionate to the US measures.”

The JCPOA was inked between Iran and the P5+1 countries — namely the US, Russia, China, France, Britain, and Germany — in July 2015 and took effect in January 2016.

Under the deal, which was later endorsed by a UN Security Council resolution, limits were put on Iran’s nuclear activities in exchange for the removal of all nuclear-related bans imposed on the Islamic Republic, among other things.

The Trump administration, which took over in January 2017, one year after the JCPOA came into force, has however slapped sanctions on Iran in violation of the nuclear deal.

US House of Representatives approves new sanctions against Russia

Source: US House of Representatives approves new sanctions against Russia — RT America

© Jonathan Ernst / Reuters

RT America

26 Jul, 2017

The House of Representatives has voted overwhelmingly to pass new sanctions against Russia, and require congressional approval before US President Donald Trump can ease or remove existing ones. The bill also includes sanctions against Iran and North Korea

Lawmakers voted 419-3 to approve legislation seeking to punish Russia over a host of issues, including its alleged meddling in the 2016 presidential election, its support for the Syrian government and alleged support for the rebels in Ukraine, as well as Crimea’s accession to Russia.

If signed into law, the measure will effectively cement the existing sanctions against Russia by requiring the administration to get permission from Congress before lifting or easing the economic penalties against Moscow.

“It empowers Congress to review and disapprove of any sanctions relief,” said Rep. Ed Royce (R-California) on the House floor, ahead of the vote.

The sanctions target a wide array of entities and individuals – including Russia’s energy sector, banks and weapons manufacturers, as well as those whom the US has accused of interfering in the US presidential election through hacking and otherwise.

To reverse each of the sanctions, the administration would have to provide evidence and certify that the conditions that prompted them have been removed.

Having secured well over two-thirds of the legislature’s votes, the bill is effectively veto-proof, meaning lawmakers have enough votes to override any potential veto by the president.

Despite expressing doubts about Russia’s alleged interference in his election, President Trump would sign the legislation, White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said on Sunday.

However, the following day Huckabee Sanders said the president was going to “study that legislation and see what the final product looks like.”

“While the President supports tough sanctions on North Korea, Iran and Russia, the White House is reviewing the House legislation and awaits a final legislative package for the President’s desk,” she said in a statement as cited by Reuters.

The White House opposed a similar bill which the Senate passed last month, saying that it would erode the president’s authority to determine foreign policy.

Russia has repeatedly denied any collusion with the Trump campaign or interference in the 2016 election.

 Fresh sanctions would prove detrimental not just to the US and Russia, but other countries too, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Monday.

“If Trump signs the sanctions bill, he will not calm down his enemies – they desire his impeachment. But he will inflict double damage – to relations with Russia and the European Union at the same time,” Russian senator Aleksey Pushkov said.

EU authorities have urged US lawmakers to coordinate their anti-Russian actions with European partners. “Unilateral measures” could undermine transatlantic unity and have “unintended consequences,” the European Commission warned in a special address on Monday.

Read more

EU concerned over US bill on Russia sanctions, warns of ‘unintended consequences’

The legislation aims to introduce individual sanctions for investing in Russian energy projects. It also outlines steps to hamper construction of Russian company Gazprom’s Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline project.

“We are concerned the measures discussed in the US Congress could have unintended consequences, not only when it comes to Transatlantic/G7 unity, but also on EU economic and energy security interests,” the commission stated.

Germany and Austria in particular spoke out against punitive actions by the US following the approval of the bill by US senators last month. A joint statement issued by German Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel and Austrian Chancellor Christian Kern noted the need for the 28-member bloc to expand its energy supply network.

“We can’t accept the threat of illegal and extraterritorial sanctions against European companies,” the politicians charged. “Europe’s energy supply is a matter for Europe, and not for the United States of America.”

The new measures introduced by the US were primarily about “selling American liquefied natural gas and ending the supply of Russian natural gas to the European market,” the officials added.

Ahead of US lawmakers clearing all potential hurdles for the bill, a number of American multinationals – including ExxonMobil, General Electric and Boeing, as well as MasterCard and Visa – raised concerns that the punitive measures will ultimately harm their interests, rather than those of the Kremlin.

After pressure from US energy companies that want to do business in Russia, the legislation was amended to allow American businesses to work with Russian entities on certain oil and gas projects outside of Russia as long as they don’t involve a sanctioned Russian individual or company owning a 33 percent stake or more.

Anti-Russia sanctions: ‘EU should stop playing games of Washington’

“Nathan Gill: It is time for the EU to decide whether or not they want to defend Europeans and European business interests and stand up against what the Americans are trying to do.”

Source: Anti-Russia sanctions: ‘EU should stop playing games of Washington’ — RT Op-Edge

RT Op-Edge

24 Jul, 2017

© Zach Gibson / Reuters

 

It is time for the EU to decide whether they want to defend Europeans and European business interests and stand up against what the Americans are trying to do, says MEP Nathan Gill from the UK Independence Party.

An EU delegation is holding crunch talks on Monday with US lawmakers. It comes as a leaked memo suggests Brussels is preparing retaliation if Washington pushes ahead with new anti-Russian sanctions that could hurt European businesses.

RT: Do you expect the European Commission delegation to change US lawmakers’ mind ahead of the voting on new sanctions?

Nathan Gill: No, not really. What we are seeing here is some very jingoistic Russia-phobia legislation that is coming out primarily pushed by some very angry Democrats and CNN who are trying through the fog of smoke and mirrors distract people from the real reasons why they voted for Trump in the election for the presidency. What we’ve got to remember is it hasn’t affected American business or industry. The sanctions, the recrimination that Russia has put against American and EU countries – exports, imports, etc. – the Austrian Institute [of Economic Research] estimate that has already cost the EU over €100 billion and up to 2.5 million jobs…

…But it is not really costing the Americans. They are going to try and punish Russia because we are seeing this witch hunt against Trump and against Trump’s family for the so-called links during the election which is all smoke and mirrors. The reality is, the only people that are going to be hurt are the people from Europe. We are looking at the energy cost rise by at least €3 billion. This is big money we are talking about.

RT: If fresh sanctions are approved, what kind of measures can Brussels apply to retaliate and defend its business deals with Russia?

Nathan Gill: It is time for the EU to decide whether or not they want to defend Europeans and European business interests and stand up against what the Americans are trying to do. If they truly want to stand up and defend Europe over internationalism, then they will do that, and they will say “no, we are not playing the games of Washington any longer.”

‘US government wants to put Trump in a box’

Martin McCauley, author, and Russia analyst, told RT: “There is a majority in the House of Representatives for increased sanctions, it is expected to go through tomorrow. Then it will go to the Senate. And there is majority already in the Senate for increased sanctions. It looks like a done deal from an American point of view. All the European Commission officials could say is “this is going to damage us.” Because one of the things the Americans would target will be the construction of the gas pipeline from Russia to Germany through the Baltic Sea. They may put pressure on German companies to slow that down; they don’t really favor that going ahead… The House of Representatives and the Senate want to tie President Donald Trump down, put him in a box so he can’t really relax any sanctions on his own.” 

The statements, views and opinions expressed in this column are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of RT.

‘Crimea has always been Russia’: Award winning filmmaker Kusturica says during Peninsula visit

Source: ‘Crimea has always been Russia’: Award winning filmmaker Kusturica says during Peninsula visit — RT News

RT News

24 Jul, 2017

Emir Kusturica © Samantha Zucchi / Global Look Press

Crimea’s reunification with Russia is an “organic” process, Serbian movie director, Emir Kusturica, told journalists in Yalta, saying, that those living on the Peninsula do not need approval from abroad to build their lives as part of Russia.

“There are forces in the world that divide but on the other side there are [forces that] unite,” the award winning film director and musician, said before staging a concert with his group, The No Smoking Orchestra.

“When Crimea became part of Russia, I thought it had always been Russia…There was no war here, there was a referendum where people said: ‘We want to live with Russia.’ It is an organic process,” Kusturica said.

He noted that people on the peninsula are part of the country and that they basically did what they “should have done” when voting “YES” during the referendum in March of 2014.

Read more

‘Putin’s gentle nature bringing Russia back from its knees’ – filmmaker Kusturica

The Serb pointed out that Crimean lifestyle and culture serves as “proof that you are Russia.”

Locals in Crimea should now focus on building their lives as part of the country without waiting for international recognition of Crimea’s ascension, he advised.

“You must do what you are doing, [building] a huge airport, good motorways, infrastructure, and Crimea will be beautiful… and your life will be in your hands. It doesn’t matter what they think [in the West],” he said.

Crimea became part of the Russian Empire back in the 18th century but was reassigned to the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic in 1954 by the Soviet Union’s ruling presidium.

After the collapse of the Soviet Union, Crimea became an autonomous region in Ukraine. Following the 2014 coup in Kiev, Crimeans voted overwhelmingly in a referendum to rejoin Russia. Their decision has not been recognized by Western powers.

In April, president Vladimir Putin’s spokesperson said Moscow won’t “trade” Crimea for lifting sanctions imposed by the West on Moscow over the reunification.

“The very idea of conducting a second referendum in Crimea contradicts the fundamental principles of today’s Russian policy,” Dmitry Peskov, said.

In February last year, Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov noted that even if Moscow agrees to hold another referendum, its results would be also challenged by the west under a new pretext in order to maintain tense relations with Russia. 

Mental blockade: US embargoes 20 nations but frets over imaginary Russian siege

You have to give credit to Putin. His calm demeanor, his peaceful attitude, his sober strategy is in direct contrast to the bloodthirsty demonic Americans. Does anything the Americans do make any sense any more? 

I would have nuked them long ago. I see it as the most possible outcome so why wait and prolong the suffering? Nuke the planet and get rid of this parasitic species. Earth will come back in about 100, 000 years.

The USA  actually believe it owns the world, doesn’t it? They should start reading history books, especially the bits about ruthless totalitarian regimes. Just look at the history of Rome dear USA, especially its last two hundred years. All empires fade to dust America and the barbarians are at the gate.

Source: Mental blockade: US embargoes 20 nations but frets over imaginary Russian siege — RT Op-Edge

rt.com

Finian Cunningham

Published time: 20 Jun, 2017

Finian Cunningham (born 1963) has written extensively on international affairs, with articles published in several languages. Originally from Belfast, Ireland, he is a Master’s graduate in Agricultural Chemistry and worked as a scientific editor for the Royal Society of Chemistry, Cambridge, England, before pursuing a career in newspaper journalism. For over 20 years he worked as an editor and writer in major news media organizations, including The Mirror, Irish Times and Independent. Now a freelance journalist based in East Africa, his columns appear on RT, Sputnik, Strategic Culture Foundation and Press TV.

German Army Leopard tanks cross the Neris river during Iron Wolf 2017 exercise in Stasenai, Lithuania, June 20, 2017. © Ints Kalnins / Reuters

US and British troops this week joined thousands of NATO forces to conduct war games in Poland rehearsing the ‘possible’ blockade of Baltic states by Russia. Talk about mental blockade.

Never mind that Russia has repeatedly denied it has any intention of invading Latvia, Estonia or Lithuania, or any other state for that matter. And never mind that there is no evidence at all of any unusual build-up of Russian forces posing a threat to its Baltic neighbors.

NATO commanders themselves admit that the latest war games are a “theoretical scenario” in which Russian military sever the 104-kilometer Suwalki Gap between Belarus and Kaliningrad, thus cutting off the Baltic NATO members from the rest of the 29-member alliance.

The amusing thing about this imaginary blockade by Russia of sovereign states is that it contrasts with actually existing blockades or embargoes imposed by the US and its allies against at least 2o nations.

And topping the list of countries sanctioned by Washington and its allies is Russia. Only last week, the US Senate voted through new punitive measures to tighten financial and diplomatic restrictions imposed on Russia over the 2014 Ukraine crisis. In addition to dubious claims of Russian interference in Ukrainian affairs, the American senators have now added unfounded allegations of Russian interference in the US presidential elections at the end of last year.

Other countries to feel the heat from US sanctions include Iran, Cuba, Venezuela and North Korea. Cuba takes the unenviable title of having been subjected to a blanket embargo imposed by the US for nearly six decades. A relative easing of the sanctions under the previous Obama administration is now being reversed by President Trump who is accusing Havana of harboring a “brutal regime”.

According to the US Treasury and the State Department, a full list of some 20 blacklisted foreign nations extends to Syria, Somalia, Sudan, Eritrea and Zimbabwe among others. When counting in nations which are sanctioned or blockaded with US approval by Washington’s allies the list includes the Palestinian territory of Gaza, the Donbas breakaway republics of eastern Ukraine, Yemen and most recently Qatar.

Out of the 20 or so nations blockaded in some way by American complicity, none is in more grave humanitarian crisis than Yemen. Millions of children are facing starvation and death from diseases like cholera due to a land, sea and air blockade imposed on the war-torn country by Saudi Arabia with the support of the US and Britain.

Yemen, the poorest country in the Arab region, depends on imported food for 80 per cent of its total supply. The US and British-backed Saudi blockade on Yemen has also cut the country off from vital medical supplies. What is going on there is a truly barbaric siege which is comparable to the most notorious sieges recorded in history, such as the Nazi Wehrmacht’s three-year horrific blockade imposed on St Petersburg (Leningrad).

Of less humanitarian severity is the blockade thrown up around the Persian Gulf emirate of Qatar. Nevertheless, the draconian move by Saudi Arabia and its Gulf allies to cut off transport and financial links between Qatar and the rest of the world is an outrageous violation of international law. The siege on Qatar could not be applied if it were not for at the least tacit approval of Washington.

The accusations leveled against the Qatari rulers of sponsoring jihadist terrorism are serious enough. But the idea that Saudi Arabia is leading these pious allegations is ridiculous given the oil kingdom’s own well-documented sponsorship of terrorism.

The salient point is the way certain states evidently consider it their prerogative to use financial and diplomatic coercion of others. It is not an exaggeration to say that such one-sided measures are used like weapons. Rather than diplomatic means of dialogue and arbitration, the resort to slapping on sanctions is simply bullying.

Such substitution of diplomacy and international law by unilateral punitive measures is a dangerous erosion of normal relations.

It is no coincidence that the US-backed Saudi military coalition blockading Yemen for the past two years with such horrendous human suffering – and with such little international outcry – can then turn around casually to blockade Qatar. Once international law and norms have been breached as they have been so horribly with regard to Yemen, then it becomes “acceptable” to repeat elsewhere.

What is even more dangerous is that sanctions and embargoes are all too often a prelude to all-out war, as history has shown. The Pacific War between the US and Japan (1941-45), for example, was the culmination of years of an oil embargo imposed by Washington on Tokyo. The “surprise” Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, was in many ways a desperate resort to full-on conflict.

The latest US sanctions lined up against Russia take aim at disrupting its giant gas trade being expanded with Europe through the Nord 2 Stream project. This is the real geo-strategic objective of the US. To disrupt the European energy market for Russia in order to advantage American companies.

Even European leaders, such as Germany’s Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel and Austrian Chancellor Christian Kern, issued statements last week decrying the Senate’s proposed Russian sanctions. “Threatening European enterprises is a violation of international law,” they said. Perhaps their complaints could be taken more seriously if these same European leaders did not also comply with US-led sanctions against Russia and Crimea.

How long Russia will tolerate this American attack – and attack is what it is, albeit in financial form – against its vital national interests is a troubling question. History shows that threats against vital interests sooner or later reach a threshold beyond which overt violence becomes inevitable. The surge in tensions in Syria over the American shoot-down of a Syrian warplane could be one such spark.

The US and its NATO allies accuse Russia of “threatening” Europe and destabilizing the “liberal world order”. This is while NATO spends a total of 10 times more on military than Russia. And while NATO forces amass on Russia’s borders.

Similarly, Washington conducts war games that “envisage” an imaginary, future blockade of NATO countries by Russia. Russia has not blockaded any country and has categorically denied having any intention of doing so. Meantime, it is Washington and its allies that are actually blockading, embargoing or sanctioning as many as 20 nations.

Washington’s blockades entail a unilateral repudiation of diplomatic means. In some cases, they are an outrageous violation of international law. And further still, financial coercion by Washington can be seen as an act of war.

If one has trouble deciding which nation is the source of so much international tensions and aggression, perhaps a sure way of making an assessment is to answer the question: which nation is responsible for imposing the most sanctions and blockades on others?

And if we view the unilateral use of blockades as low-intensity warfare, then without hesitation, the United States is the world’s number one warmongering regime.

A curious Western mental blockade seems to obscure this otherwise clear conclusion.

 

The statements, views and opinions expressed in this column are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of RT.

Read more

NATO stages 1st-ever war games in Baltic ‘weak spot’ to defend from ‘Russia threat’ (PHOTOS)

Read more

Putin: New US sanctions harmful to relations, but Russia will deal

Read more

Australia halts air strikes in Syria after Russia-US tensions over downed Damascus jet

Cuba rejects Donald Trump’s ‘hostile rhetoric’

Silly Cubans, did you actually believe that the Barbaric States of Dumbmerica would actually deal fairly with you? The real question is, why does the US think it can inflict its morbid and self-centered view of the world on the rest of the world? The entire planet should rise up and demand that the US stop interfering with other nations. What a joke, as the USA cannot even take care of itself  (Think Baltimore, Detroit; think education, water, crumbling infrastructure, etc.).

Government denounces new US restrictions on trade and travel, saying attempts to change its political system will fail.

Source: Cuba rejects Donald Trump’s ‘hostile rhetoric’ | USA News | Al Jazeera

http://www.aljazeera.com

June 17, 2017

Government denounces new US restrictions on trade and travel, saying attempts to change its political system will fail.

Americans made up the third-biggest group of visitors to Cuba last year [Alexandre Meneghini/Reuters]

The Cuban government of Raul Castro has criticised Donald Trump’s “hostile rhetoric” in announcing new restrictions on US ties to the country, but repeated its willingness to hold “respectful dialogue” with Washington.

Earlier on Friday, the US president pledged to overhaul his predecessor Barack Obama’s Cuba policy.

“The government of Cuba denounces the new measures toughening the embargo” imposed since 1962, according to a statement read on Cuban state television.

However, it said Cuba “reiterates its willingness to continue the respectful dialogue and cooperation” that have taken place with Washington since 2015 when the drive for restored ties began under Obama.

Although the policy changes announced were limited, Trump has tightened rules for Americans travelling to Cuba, banned ties with a military-run tourism firm and reaffirmed the existing US trade embargo.

The Cuban statement criticised the “hostile rhetoric that recalls the time of open confrontation,” and “return to the coercive methods of the past”.

It regretted “a reversal in relations between the two countries”.

“Any strategy to change the political, economic and social system in Cuba, whether through pressure … or through more subtle methods, will be doomed to failure”.

Diplomatic ties to remain

Diplomatic relations, restored only two years ago, will remain intact. But, in a shift from Obama’s approach, Trump said trade and other penalties would stay in place until a long list of prerequisites was met.

“America has rejected the Cuban people’s oppressors,” Trump said in Miami’s Little Havana.

Declaring Obama’s pact with Castro a “completely one-sided deal”, Trump said he was cancelling it.

In practice, however, many recent changes to boost ties to Cuba will stay as they are.

Embassies in Havana and Washington will remain open. US airlines and cruise ships will still be allowed to serve the island.

The “wet foot, dry foot” policy, which once let most Cuban migrants stay if they made it to US soil but was terminated under Obama, will remain terminated.

Remittances from people in the US to Cubans will not be cut off.

But individual “people-to-people” trips by Americans to Cuba, allowed by Obama for the first time in decades, will again be prohibited.

And the US government will police other trips to ensure travellers are pursuing a “full-time schedule of educational exchange activities”.

Trump’s excitement

Trump said that easing restrictions on trade and travel only helps the Castro government, and he wants US money to go only to the fledgling private sector.

But the overwhelming majority of the Cuban economy is controlled by the government.

“The Cuban people were so excited when President Obama came,” Caridad Gonzalez, who runs a bed-and-breakfast, told Al Jazeera.

“We thought our lives would improve, and with tourism they did. But now we’re being blocked again. It’s the people who’ll suffer the consequences, not the Cuban state.”

Some 285,000 people visited the Caribbean country in 2016, up 74 percent over 2015, with Americans the third-biggest group after Canadians and Cuban expatriates.

Source: Al Jazeera and news agencies