The US government closes its ports to Russian ships. This means that no Russian-flagged ships or ships guided by Russian interests can dock in the United States, US President Joe Biden said Thursday in the US capital, Washington.
Biden also announced $800 million in arms deliveries to Ukraine. The package is said to include heavy artillery and drones.
According to Biden, the closing of the port is another step that the United States has taken together with its international partners. Russia must be denied the “advantages of the international economic system” because of the aggressive war against Ukraine. The European Union has also decided to ban ships flying the Russian flag from entering EU ports.
100,000 refugees
The US government wants to start the process to accept up to 100,000 Ukrainians seeking protection from early next week. The program aims to provide Ukrainians with a fast track to safe and legal migration from Europe to the United States, Biden said on Thursday. It should complement existing legal migration routes and ensure, among other things, that Ukrainians do not have to enter the country through Mexico and the US southern border.
The US had already pledged $500 million in new financial aid to Ukraine. The money will help the Ukrainian government, among other things, pay salaries and pensions, a US Treasury official in Washington said on Thursday. The money is also earmarked for programs aimed at preventing “a deterioration of the humanitarian situation in Ukraine”.
Russia sanctions US citizens
The announcement was made at a meeting between US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen, Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal and Finance Minister Serhiy Marchenko in Washington. The International Monetary Fund (IMF) and World Bank spring conferences are currently taking place in the US capital, and several government representatives from around the world have traveled to them.
Meanwhile, the Russian Foreign Ministry announced sanctions against 29 other US citizens. Among them are Vice President Kamala Harris and Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg, according to a statement. They will be banned from entering the Russian Federation indefinitely. 61 Canadians are also subject to punitive measures.