U.S President, Joe Biden has announced more than 500 new sanctions targeting Russia.
The U.S also imposed new export restrictions on nearly 100 entities for providing support to Russia and took action to further reduce Russia’s energy revenues.
“They will ensure Putin pays an even steeper price for his aggression abroad and repression at home,” Biden said of the sanctions.
“The American people and people around the world understand that the stakes of this fight extend far beyond Ukraine,” Biden said in a statement announcing the sanctions.
“If Putin does not pay the price for his death and destruction, he will keep going. And the costs to the United States, along with our Nato allies and partners in Europe and around the world, will rise.”
Joe Biden
Many of the new U.S sanctions target Russian firms that contribute to the Kremlin’s war effort, including drone and industrial chemical manufacturers and machine tool importers, as well as financial institutions.
It also targeted three Russian officials who the U.S says are connected to Navalny’s death.
The individiuals sanctioned include Valery Boyarinev, the deputy director of the Russia’s Federal Penitentiary Service which oversaw Polar Wolf, the penal colony where Navalny suddenly died last week.
“Following Navalny’s death, Boyarinev was promoted to ‘colonel general’ by decree of Vladimir Putin,” the state department said.
The other two sanctioned individuals are two officials administering the penal colony.
Moreso, the sanctions impose visa restrictions on Russian authorities the U.S says are involved in the kidnapping and confinement of Ukrainian children.
In addition, 26 third-country people and firms from across China, Serbia, the United Arab Emirates, and Liechtenstein are listed for sanctions, for assisting Russia in evading existing financial penalties.
The announced sanctions came on the eve of the second anniversary of Russia’s war in Ukraine.
“Two years ago tomorrow, shortly before dawn, Russian missiles began exploding near the capital city of Kyiv,” Biden stated.
“Russian troops marched across the border into Ukraine. Vladimir Putin’s vicious onslaught against Ukraine had begun,” Biden added.
“He believed that he could easily bend the will and break the resolve of a free people. That he could roll into a sovereign nation, and the world would roll over.
“Two years later, we see even more vividly what we’ve known since day one. Putin miscalculated badly.”
Joe Biden
Biden Urges House Of Representatives To Pass Bill
In his statement, Biden urged the Republican-led House of Representatives to pass the bipartisan national security supplemental bill, recently approved by the Senate, to provide Ukraine with more funding to fend off Russia.
“Two years into this war, the people of Ukraine continue to fight with tremendous courage. But they are running out of ammunition,” he said.
He stressed that Ukraine needs more supplies from the United States to hold the line against Russia’s relentless attacks, “which are enabled by arms and ammunition from Iran and North Korea.”
“That’s why the House of Representatives must pass the bipartisan national security supplemental bill, before it’s too late,” he added.
“Congress knows that by supporting this bill, we can strengthen security in Europe, strengthen our security at home, and stand up to Putin,” Biden said.
“Opposing this bill only plays into his hands. History is watching,” he added.
He asserted, “The failure to support Ukraine at this critical moment will not be forgotten.”
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