Kaspersky Lab logo WASHINGTON, Mar 31The Wall Street Journal, citing unnamed US officials familiar with the matter, claims that the White House demanded that the US Department prepare sanctions against Kaspersky Lab, but the department fears the possible consequences of such a step. According to these data, the White House National Security Council instructed department to prepare restrictions against the Russian company as part of the sanctions imposed against the Russian Federation due to the events in Ukraine. At the same time, a number of Finance Ministry experts specializing in the development of sanctions expressed concern about the consequences of such a step and their scale. In particular, as noted, the software of Kaspersky Lab is used by «hundreds of millions of users around the world, which makes it difficult to impose sanctions.» , a number of officials in the US and Europe fear that the imposition of sanctions against the company will increase the likelihood of cyber attacks by Moscow against the West, including using this software,» the newspaper writes, citing its sources. At this stage, according to its interlocutors , the idea of imposing sanctions against Kaspersky Lab has been shelved. In parallel, the US administration continues to explore options for «even more painful consequences for the Russian economy» in response to the Russian-led special military operation in Ukraine. A number of Western countries have imposed new sanctions against the Russian Federation because of Ukraine. According to the press secretary of the President of the Russian Federation Dmitry Peskov, the Western sanctions are very serious, Russia was preparing for them in advance. He added that they require analysis and coordination of departments in order to develop response measures that are consistent with the interests of the Russian Federation. Russian President Vladimir Putin said that the policy of containing and weakening Russia is a long-term strategy for the West, and sanctions have dealt a serious blow to the entire global economy. According to him, the main goal of the West is to worsen the lives of millions of people. Putin also said that the United States and the European Union had effectively defaulted on their obligations to Russia, freezing its foreign exchange reserves. He added that the current events draw a line under the global dominance of the West in both politics and economics. media report
