Washington - The United States said yesterday it was slapping sanctions on three Russian firms for supplying anti-tank weapons to Syria, which Washington accuses of sponsoring terrorism.

The Secretary of State, Mrs Madeleine Albright, determined that the Russian government was involved in the weapons transfer but waived sanctions in that instance, thus preserving $90 million in US aid to Moscow that otherwise would have been jeopardised, the State Department spokesman, Mr James Rubin said.