Washington, Aug 3 (IANS): The US State Department has slapped a second round of sanctions on Moscow over the poisoning of a former Russian spy in the UK last March.

With the second round of sanctions in place, the US would oppose the extension of loans to Russia by international financial institutions, ban American banks from participating in the primary market for non-ruble denominated Russian sovereign debt and lending non-ruble denominated funds to the Russian government, and impose additional export licensing restrictions on the Department of Commerce-controlled goods and technology, Xinhua news agency quoted the Department as saying on Friday.

Britain has charged two Russians in absentia with the attempted murder of Sergei Skripal, a former Russian spy who became a double agent for the UK, with a military-grade nerve agent in Salisbury, England in March 2018.

Russia has denied any involvement in the poisoning incident.

The US slapped the first round of sanctions on Russia over the matter in August 2018, which terminated American foreign assistance, arms sales and financing to Russia.

The Salisbury poisoning triggered a diplomatic war between Russia and the West, resulting in mutual expulsions of diplomats.