President Joe Biden will unveil another package of sanctions on Russia and tighten existing ones during his visit to Europe this week, his national security adviser said Tuesday.
Biden is due to leave the White House tomorrow ahead of the NATO summit in Brussels on Thursday.
“He will have the ability to coordinate the next round of military assistance to Ukraine,” National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said.
“He will join our partners in imposing further sanctions on Russia and tightening existing sanctions to curb evasion and ensure strict compliance.”
The president will also provide additional assistance to refugees and civilians inside Ukraine, many of whom are trapped in besieged cities, he added.
“From Brussels, President Biden will travel to Poland, where he will meet with US troops currently helping to defend NATO territory and meet with experts involved in the humanitarian response,” Sullivan said.
“He will also hold a bilateral meeting with Polish President Duda.”
National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan briefed reporters on President Biden’s trip to Europe and said he would announce new sanctions on Russia later this week.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has seen his government hit by several rounds of sanctions in an attempt to undermine his position and deprive his war machine of cash.
At least six people have been killed when Russian troops shelled a Retroville shopping center in a residential area in the northwest of the Ukrainian capital Kyiv.
Damaged as a result of the shelling of a residential building in the Svyatoshinsky district of Kyiv
The US and its allies have already imposed sanctions on Russia as part of efforts to weaken President Vladimir Putin’s position at home and defund his war machine.
Washington has also worked with European and NATO governments to provide billions of dollars of weapons and aid to Ukraine.
During the briefing at the White House, Sullivan was also asked about Russia’s possible use of nuclear weapons.
“Today we have not changed our nuclear position. But we are constantly monitoring this potential contingency and of course taking it as seriously as we can,” he said.
“We will be consulting with allies and partners on this potential contingency among others and discussing our possible responses.”
Sullivan said Biden is using the trip to work with allies to bolster NATO defenses on the eastern flank.
“He will announce joint actions to strengthen European energy security and reduce Europe’s dependence on Russian gas,” he said.
Poland received an influx of more than 2 million Ukrainian refugees.
Duda has already asked for more help to deal with the humanitarian emergency and military reinforcements.
“We believe this is the right place for him to see troops, humanitarian experts and meet with a forward and very vulnerable ally,” Sullivan said.
Polish leaders have also floated the idea of a Western peacekeeping mission in Ukraine, an idea that Washington rejects for fear of escalating the conflict.
Biden’s visit comes at a time when the Russian invasion has stalled.
On Tuesday, a senior US Department of Defense official said some Russian soldiers had suffered frostbite in Ukraine, another example of the ongoing problems they faced due to a lack of proper invasion planning.
Civilian volunteers are trained to fight Ukrainian troops in the woods outside Kiev as the country mobilizes all of its reserves and prevents the men from leaving so they can join the fight.
The Russian ground forces were largely stalemate for weeks, with only limited gains in the south and east. Efforts now appear to be focused on capturing the city of Mariupol, although so far they have been unsuccessful. Ukraine says counterattacks are underway west of Kyiv, potentially threatening Russia’s advance there
For almost a month of the war, Russian troops did not manage to capture a single large city, and their advance on almost all fronts was stopped by a staunch Ukrainian defense.
According to the latest Pentagon assessments, Ukrainian forces are now gearing up to retake the captured territory as the morale of Russian troops is waning.
A senior US Department of Defense official also said that Russian morale is declining.
“We have found some indications that some of their soldiers are suffering from frostbite because they lacked the appropriate cold gear for the environment they are in… which they did not have – in addition to food and fuel – even in C point for some of their soldiers, they have problems seeing personal equipment,” the official said.
“They are in trouble, and we found signs that some soldiers were indeed injured and were withdrawn from combat due to frostbite.
“So yes, they continue to have logistical and supply issues.”