MOSCOW: The United States and Europe are afraid that sanctions against Russia’s Kaspersky Lab software company will add to the risks of cyberattacks against Western countries, which is why there is no accord in the US administration concerning restrictions against that company, The Wall Street Journal said on Wednesday, citing its sources.
According to the sources, the White House’s National Security Council has postponed discussions of possible sanctions against Kaspersky Lab in the US Department of the Treasury.
The Federal Communications Commission of the United States on Friday added products of Russia’s Kaspersky Lab into its list of equipment and services that pose a security threat. Following it, the company said it was disappointed with the commission’s decision to ban the use of federal allowances to purchase Kaspersky Lab’s products and slammed it as politically motivated. According to Kaspersky Lab, it is ready to cooperate with US government agencies and answer any questions from regulators.
On February 24, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced a special military operation in response to a request for help by the heads of the Donbass republics. He stressed that Moscow had no plans of occupying Ukrainian territories, but aimed to demilitarize and denazify the country.
Following this step, the United States, the European Union, the United Kingdom and several other countries announced sanctions against Russia individuals and legal entities.