U.S. and Allies Seek 'Big' Russia Sanctions Package Next Week

Washington D.C./17.02.23/Turan:  The U.S. and its allies are planning a major array of new sanctions against Russia to coincide with the anniversary of Putin's invasion of Ukraine, a top State Department official said on Thursday, TURAN's Washington correspondent reports.

"... You will see around the 24th a big new package of sanctions from both the US and all of our G7 partners," Victoria Nuland, the under secretary of state for political affairs, said during a special online briefing organized by the State Department's Brussels Media Hub.

These sanctions will deepen and broaden in certain categories where we have been active before, particularly in limiting the flow of technology to the Russian defense industry, high-tech equipment, et cetera, to sanctioning those individuals who are directly involved in prosecuting this war and supporting it," she said.

The package will also take aim at evaders, expand banking restrictions and crack down on evasion of existing sanctions, including in third countries.

“... Because we are seeing the Russians get quite clever — everything from importing laptops and refrigerators through third countries, including sometimes our own countries, which they then strip-mine for chips and other things that go into their war machine,” she said.

On Tuesday, February 21st, President Biden will deliver remarks in Poland ahead of the one year anniversary of Russia’s brutal and unprovoked invasion of Ukraine, addressing how the U.S. has rallied the world to support the people of Ukraine as they defend their freedom and democracy, and how it will continue to stand with the people of Ukraine for as long as it takes, according to the White House.

Nuland said, Biden administration's position on Ukraine 'remains unchanged'. While the U.S. is standing with Ukraine in its fight for the return of all of its land within its international borders, it is also supporting Kyiv, including in preparing a next hard push to regain their territory.

In the meantime, she said, Putin "is "arrogant enough" to believe that he can defeat Ukraine."

The more interesting question is, she said, whether the Russian people will stand for this given how many of their sons they are losing – more than 200,000 Russians killed in action or wounded in action over the course of the year."

"So what is this war bringing to the average Russian?  Nothing.  Death, destruction, loss of a future, loss of the technological and economic potential that would come from being integrated with us" Nuland said.

Alex Raufoglu