Aug 3 (Reuters) - A
businessman and associate of Vladimir Putin said he cannot use his
luxury jet because of U.S. sanctions over the crisis in Ukraine, a
Russian news agency reported.
Gennady Timchenko, a major
shareholder in Russia's No.2 gas producer Novatek, told Itar-Tass that
Gulfstream Aerospace Corp. had withdrawn technical support for his jet.
His comments indicated that the G650 jet, which Itar-Tass said was worth $64.5 million, had been grounded in Moscow.
"Sanctions
are coming out in the quaintest of ways," Timchenko said in the
interview with Itar-Tass. "The company Gulfstream has stopped fulfilling
its contract obligations by suspending my jet flights."
Timchenko
was included on a U.S. list of individuals subject to asset freezes and
visa bans after Russia's annexation of Crimea in March.
"Gulfstream
is prohibited from having any contacts with me. They cannot discuss
either future supplies of already ordered jets or the operation of this
one," the businessman said.
Gulfstream, which is owned by General
Dynamics and based in Savannah, in the U.S. state of Georgia, did not
immediately respond to Reuters' requests for comment on Sunday.
Itar-Tass quoted Gulfstream as saying it was not aware of any problems with its technical support service for jets in Russia.
Timchenko
is one of Russia's richest businessman and has been quoted as saying he
has known Putin since at least 1990 but denies that the president has
helped him in his career.
Timchenko sold his 43 percent stake in
global commodities trader Gunvor Group to chief executive Torbjorn
Tornqvist on March 19, just before he was hit by sanctions.
The
United States and European Union have imposed sanctions on Russia
because they accuse Moscow of arming pro-Russian separatists who have
risen up in eastern Ukraine. They want Putin to do more to end the
conflict. Russia denies the accusations and says the West is trying to
reduce its global influence.
-- Source: http://www.reuters.com
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