Biden announces 500 new sanctions targeting Russia over war on Ukraine, Navalny death
by Laura Kelly - 02/23/24 8:14 AM ETPresident Biden on Friday announced that the U.S. is imposing more than 500 new sanctions targeting Russia, marking two years since Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered the full-scale invasion of Ukraine and responding to the death last week of Russian opposition figure Alexei Navalny.
“If Putin does not pay the price for his death and destruction, he will keep going,” Biden said in a statement. “And the costs to the United States—along with our NATO Allies and partners in Europe and around the world—will rise.”
The U.S., along with international partners, have sought to use sanctions to financially squeeze Putin’s ability to wage war on Ukraine – pairing them with military, economic and humanitarian support to Ukraine to help the country push back against the Russian invading forces.
The package to be announced on Friday will include sanctions targeting individuals connected to Navalny’s imprisonment, Biden said in his statement, and target Russia’s financial sector, its defense industrial base, procurement networks and sanctions evaders across multiple continents.
The U.S. is also imposing nearly 100 new export restrictions, blocking the shipment of items to Russia in a warning to exporters that they can face American sanctions for facilitating such deliveries to Russia.
Additionally, Biden said sanctions will target Russia’s energy profits, and that the U.S. will “strengthen support for civil society, independent media, and those who fight for democracy around the world.”
The president further called for House lawmakers to pass the $95 billion national security supplemental that includes more than $60 billion in funding related to supporting Ukraine – the majority of those dollars earmarked for U.S. weapons production to backfill supplies already sent to Ukraine.
more
https://thehill.com/policy/international/4484778-biden-500-sanctions-russia-ukraine-navalny/
