The Biden administration wants to impose sanctions on more than 500 Russian targets in response to Navalny's death
The Biden administration will impose a new round of sanctions on more than 500 targets on Friday in response to the death of opposition figure Alexei Navalny and on the eve of Russia's two-year war in Ukraine, according to a Treasury Department official.
The sanctions represent the latest move by the administration to impose consequences on Russia amid rising tensions between the two countries.
On Tuesday, U.S. national security adviser Jake Sullivan said the new measures were a “comprehensive package” covering a wide range of items related to Russia's defense industrial base and sources of revenue for the Russian economy and the country's “war machine.” drive. “
President Joe Biden previewed the sanctions on Thursday, saying they would be imposed directly on President Vladimir Putin, whom Biden described as “responsible” for Navalny's death. Biden made the announcement in San Francisco shortly after meeting with Navalny's widow and daughter.
According to journalists who traveled with the US president, Biden repeatedly condemned Putin at a fundraiser in San Francisco, calling him a “crazy HDP.”
“We have a crazy HDP, this guy, Putin and others. And we always have to worry about a nuclear conflict. But the existential threat to humanity is climate,” Biden told those gathered at the fundraiser. Responding to Biden's comments, the Kremlin said on Thursday they were a “huge embarrassment” for the United States.
Sullivan described the new package as “another turnaround” after Western sanctions against Moscow had been weakened since the start of the Ukraine war. While these sanctions have hurt the Russian economy, they have not stopped Putin from continuing the invasion.
The United States, along with other Western governments, has imposed a series of sanctions against Russia in recent years, but Russia has adapted. Putin is beginning to rejoice at Russia's resistance to international sanctions, which have been slow to take effect.
A senior U.S. official said U.S. officials were working on a new package of sanctions against Russia before Navalny's death and added to them after the opposition leader's death. He added that U.S. officials had coordinated with European partners on a new package.
The number of sanctioned targets was first reported by Portal.