Blinken announces sanctions against Russian “defense-related entities”
U.S. Secretary of State Anthony Blinken has announced that the United States will impose sanctions on 22 Russian “defense-related entities,” in addition to new sanctions against Belarus.
“Only these systems are now being used against the Ukrainian people in violation of human rights and international humanitarian law,” Blinken said.
He said sanctions and the consequences for Russia’s actions would continue if Putin continued to escalate hostilities.
“President Putin may have guessed that the United States and our allies were bluffing when we warned of huge, unprecedented consequences, but as President Biden likes to say, great nations cannot bluff,” he said. “The United States is not bluffing, and Putin has made a serious mistake.
.@SecBlinken: Today we are also imposing broad sanctions on Russia’s defense sector. Overall, these sanctions and restrictions have had a powerful effect on the Russian economy. The value of President Putin’s “military fund” has disappeared. pic.twitter.com/T7wRbs2LQ7
– State Department (@StateDept) March 2, 2022
Although he could not put himself in Vladimir Putin’s mind, Blinken said he could focus only on Putin’s actions and the US response.
“The Achilles’ heal of autocracies is the inability to speak the truth of power,” Blinken said.
Regarding Putin’s nuclear stance, Blinken reiterated that the United States and Russia have long agreed that the use of nuclear weapons would be “devastating” and that a nuclear war “cannot be won and should never be fought.”
“Provocative rhetoric about nuclear weapons is supreme irresponsibility,” he said. “It’s dangerous. It increases the risk of miscalculations. It should be avoided.”
.@SecBlinken: “Russia and the United States have long agreed that the actual use of nuclear weapons will be devastating and will have devastating consequences for the whole world … Both our countries have stated that nuclear war cannot be won and should never be fought. . ” pic.twitter.com/Qpx1lDegnC
– CSPAN (@cspan) March 2, 2022
At the moment, the United States has no reason to change its signals, and Blinken said the door to diplomacy with Russia remains open only if the Kremlin de-escalates its military forces.
Blinken also applauded the “striking and historic” UN vote this morning.
More than 140 countries voted to hold Russia accountable, five voted against and 34 abstained.
Among those who voted against the resolution are Russia, Belarus, Syria and North Korea. To quote comedian Graucho Marx, Blinken said, “This is not a club you want to be a member of.”
Regarding the nations that abstained from voting, Blinken said that in some cases the abstention was louder than the vote against.