The White House believes there is a “distinct possibility” that Russia will invade the country in question in February.
The United States identified several members of the circle close to Russian President Vladimir Putin for impose harsh sanctions in case Russia proceeds with an invasion of Ukraine, an official source said on Monday.
“We have developed specific packages of sanctions cagainst Russian elites who meet certain criteria and against their relatives, in coordination with our allies,” a senior US official, who requested anonymity, told Efe.
“The people we have identified are within or close to the close circles of the Kremlin and play a role in government decision-making or, at the very least, they are complicit in the destabilizing behavior of the Kremlin,” he added.
Those restrictions would freeze any assets that such individuals may have under US jurisdiction, are “particularly vulnerable due to its deep financial ties to the West,” the source explained.
“Putin’s henchmen they will no longer be able to use their wives or other family members to evade sanctions, which will leave them outside the international financial system”, he added.
Specifically, the people that the administration of President Joe Biden has targeted are either either members of the board of directors of the Russian Executive, or have ties with some economic sector considered important, or they are relatives of these.
“There are a long list of people from which we can choose”, underlined the official, who insisted that she cannot advance names due to the “flight risk” that this may imply.
The United States orders the departure of families of its diplomats from Ukraine
In addition to those restrictions on elites, if Russian troops enter Ukraine, Washington will impose “massive sanctions against the largest institutions in key industries and unprecedented export control measures, to stunt Russia’s ability to carry out its strategic ambitions,” he explained.
The White House keeps “on the table” the option of imposing even harsher and broader sanctions than those, the official said, saying that for now she is only willing to give details about the restrictions that would punish Russia’s elites.
Why is Ukraine the center of international tensions?
The tensions between the United States and its NATO allies The US and Russia have clashed in recent weeks after the concentration of more than 100,000 Russian soldiers with heavy weapons near the Ukraine border.
The White House believes there is a “distinct possibility” that Russia will invade Ukraine in February, although the Ukrainian government has played down that warning and has insisted that he does not see a worsening of the situation greater than what has been seen before. (I)
Source: Eluniverso
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