U.S. imposes new sanctions on Russia --- The Obama administration on Monday imposed new asset freezes and visa bans on seven Russian government officials and sanctions on 17 companies linked to President Vladi­mir Putin’s “inner circle,” saying that the measures were a response to Russia’s failure to cease provocative acts in Ukraine. -- The sanctions, which President Obama previewed during a visit to the Philippines, include additional restrictions on 13 of the Russian companies, imposing licensing requirements “with a presumption of denial” for the export or transfer of any U.S.-made items to those enterprises. -- The new sanctions were imposed under executive orders Obama signed last month following Russia’s incursion into the Ukrainian region of Crimea. In a statement, the White House noted that a separate order authorizes the president to sanction “key sectors of the Russian economy” and said he would move to do so “if there is further Russian military intervention in Ukraine.” -- “The international community has been unified in its position that Russia must cease its illegal intervention and provocative actions in Ukraine,” the statement said. “The United States, working closely with its partners, remains prepared to impose still greater costs on Russia if the Russian leadership continues these provocations instead of de-escalating the situation.” -- The seven officials sanctioned on Monday are all close friends or key supporters of Putin, including Igor Sechin, president of Rosneft, Russia’s leading state-owned petroleum company. -- U.S. officials have described their strategy as an attempt to pressure key Putin associates into pushing their leader for a more conciliatory Ukraine policy. - More, Washingtonpost