Actions Wednesday include new restrictions that expand export control policies towards Belarus and prevent technology and software from diverting to Russia through the country, which the administration says will “severely limit Russia’s and Belarus’ ability to receive the materials they need.” to support their military aggression against Ukraine, they are deploying force in ways that threaten regional stability and undermine global peace and security. “
In addition, the United States and its allies have identified 22 Russian “defense-related enterprises,” including companies that provide technological and material support to the Russian military.
The new measures, announced Wednesday, are the latest round of sanctions against Moscow that the United States and its allies have imposed in a bid to cripple Russia’s economy in response to its invasion of Ukraine. Previous rounds have included sanctions on the Nord Stream 2 pipeline from Russia to Germany, sanctions against Russia’s largest banks and the removal of Russia from SWIFT, a high-security network that connects thousands of financial institutions around the world.
On Tuesday, US President Joe Biden announced during a speech on the state of the union that the United States would join other countries in banning Russian aircraft from US airspace.
But the White House said Wednesday it was not yet ready to take a broader measure sanctioning Russian oil, a move some have called for to impose a maximum sentence on Russia. The White House noted that energy payments have been cut by financial sanctions and that sanctions against the oil refining industry would harm the Russian economy, but will protect American consumers.
“We have no strategic interest in reducing global energy supplies,” Deputy Chief of Staff Carin Jean-Pierre told reporters aboard Air Force One. Jean-Pierre said sanctioning Russian oil “would raise gas prices for Americans”, something the White House “knows a lot about”.
These comments followed Biden’s statement earlier Wednesday, when he suggested sanctioning Russian oil would remain an option. “Nothing is on the table,” Biden said.
“It’s something we’re definitely looking at. That’s not something we’re ready to do right now, “said Cedric Richmond, a senior adviser to Biden, in an interview with CNN’s Anna Cabrera on Wednesday. “But I think the president was very clear when he said that everything was on the table and he was not ready to take anything off the table.
However, sanctions imposed in the last week since the Russian invasion underscored the united front between the United States and its European allies in an attempt to counter Moscow’s aggression. Even countries such as Switzerland, which is known to be neutral in the face of conflict, announced this week that they would impose sanctions on Russia.
In a statement announcing the additional sanctions on Wednesday, Trade Minister Gina Raimondo called accounts leaving Ukraine “heartbreaking – both because of the brutality of the Russian attack and because of the incredible determination of the Ukrainian people.”
The new round of White House sanctions also targets Belarus, a country north of Ukraine that has played a key role in helping Russia’s attack. Russian troops were stationed in Belarus before the attack on Ukraine, which both sides claimed was for exercises. Using Belarus’ border was strategically advantageous for Russia, as its border with Ukraine is much closer to Kyiv than Russia’s border, providing a shorter route for Russian troops to reach the Ukrainian capital.
US Ambassador to the UN Linda-Thomas Greenfield said in a speech at the UN on Wednesday that Belarus must “stop supporting the war and stop allowing its territory to be used to facilitate this aggression.”
This is a shattering story and will be updated.