The United States has warned Russia of damaging sanctions, including actions
that personally target Russian President Vladimir Putin. This threat was
made by the US when Russian combat troops gathered around Ukraine launched a
new exercise.
US President Joe Biden said he would consider adding direct sanctions
against Putin to a series of actions being drafted.
"Yes. I'll look into that," Biden said when asked by reporters in Washington
about targeting sanctions against Putin Tuesday (25/1/2022).
Tensions in the Ukraine crisis appear to be on the rise. The White House
said the risk of a Russian invasion of Ukraine "remains imminent".
A warning that will trigger "huge consequences" and even "change the world".
Putin himself has long been accused by his detractors of vast secret wealth.
A senior US official has described economic sanctions as "with grave
consequences" that go far beyond the previous measures, which were
implemented in 2014 after Russia invaded Ukraine's Crimea region.
"The new measures will include restrictions on exports of high-tech US
equipment in the artificial intelligence, quantum computing and aerospace
sectors," the official said on condition of anonymity.
"What we are talking about are advanced technologies that we design and
manufacture. And cutting them off would hit Putin's strategic ambitions to
industrialize his economy quite hard," the official continued.
Meanwhile, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson echoed the threat, saying
sanctions would be "tougher than anything we've ever done".
French President Emmanuel Macron said he would speak by telephone with Putin
on Friday to seek "clarification" about Moscow's intentions to deploy more
troops on the Russia-Ukraine border.
Russian Military Exercise
A day after Washington said it had put 8,500 US troops on alert for a
possible deployment to support NATO forces in Europe, Russia's military
announced it was conducting new exercises involving 6,000 troops near
Ukraine and in the Crimea region.
The drills included firing drills with fighter jets, bombers, anti-aircraft
systems and ships from the Black and Caspian Sea fleets, the defense
ministry said.
According to Western officials, the Kremlin has deployed more than 100,000
troops on the Ukrainian border, with reinforcements coming from across
Russia.
"We continue to observe a significant accumulation of combat force," said
Pentagon spokesman John Kirby.
Washington also warned Russia's ally Belarus that its authoritarian
government would "face a swift and decisive response" if it helped Moscow
invade Ukraine.
"If the invasion is to continue from Belarus, if Russian troops are
permanently stationed on their territory, NATO may have to reassess our own
force posture in countries bordering Belarus," State Department spokesman
Ned Price said.
