The White House will impose additional sanctions on Russia in the coming hours, a top national security official for Biden said on Tuesday, after Russian President Vladimir Putin recognized two pro-Moscow areas in Ukraine on Monday.
“The United States will make important announcements of its own a little later today, including sanctions that we will impose in response to what Russia did yesterday,” Deputy National Security Adviser Jon Finer said during an appearance on MSNBC.
He also gave some more details about additional sanctions announcements coming later Tuesday, suggesting that this could put an end to the harsh sanctions the US has envisioned, pending “further action” by Russia.
“If Russia takes further actions, we will have further significant and serious consequences that we can impose on Russia through sanctions, in addition to the other elements of our response, including security assistance to the Ukrainians to help them defend themselves, and the force stance, troop movements you’ve seen the United States undertake in the coming days,” Finer said, adding that the US remains open to diplomacy.
For now, a slew of sanctions against Russia is not expected, because “if you are going to deter” [Putin] taking Kiev and the country — still a serious chance — you have to threaten sanctions against it,” a senior government official told DailyExpertNews.
However, the sanctions announced today are expected to extend beyond the limited package, the White House announced Monday.
A senior US official told DailyExpertNews that the cautious nature of Monday’s package was partly due to the need to consult with Europeans about their willingness to move forward, and to gauge whether Russia’s actions on Monday should require the full sanctions package. result that the West has prepared in the event of an invasion.
US and European officials have been discussing intensively in recent hours how to move forward with additional sanctions against Russia for ordering troops into Ukraine, according to officials familiar with the matter.
The European Commission also proposed sanctions to EU member states on Tuesday. The proposals will impose sanctions on 27 individuals and entities, including political figures, propagandists, military and financial entities that the EU believes are linked to “illegal activities” in the regions. Sanctions will also be imposed on the 351 Russian lawmakers who voted in favor of recognition and the 11 who proposed it – and the installation of Russian troops.
The Commission has placed particular emphasis on the sanctions imposed in Crimea following its 2014 annexation by Moscow.