Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility
US, EU Pile New Sanctions on Russia for Ukraine War's 2nd Anniversary and Navalny's Death
gvw_ap_news
By Associated Press
Published 1 year ago on
February 23, 2024

Share

Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

New U.S. and E.U. sanctions target Russian firms and financial institutions.

Sanctions also imposed on 26 third-country individuals and firms aiding Russia.

EU adds 106 officials and 88 entities to its sanctions list.


WASHINGTON — The United States and the European Union are piling new sanctions on Russia on the eve of the second anniversary of its invasion of Ukraine and in retaliation for the death of noted Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny last week in an Arctic penal colony.

The U.S. Treasury, State Department and Commerce Department plan Friday to impose roughly 600 new sanctions on Russia and its war machine in the largest single tranche of penalties since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022. They come on the heels of a series of new arrests and indictments announced by the Justice Department on Thursday that target Russian businessmen, including the head of Russia’s second-largest bank, and their middlemen in five separate federal cases.

EU’s Response

The European Union announced Friday that it is imposing sanctions on several foreign companies over allegations that they have exported dual-use goods to Russia that could be used in its war against Ukraine. The 27-nation bloc also said that it was targeting scores of Russian officials, including “members of the judiciary, local politicians and people responsible for the illegal deportation and military re-education of Ukrainian children.”

President Joe Biden said the sanctions come in response to Russian President Vladimir Putin’s “brutal war of conquest” and to Navalny’s death, at a gathering of U.S. governors at the White House. “We in the United States are going to continue to ensure that Putin pays a price for his aggression abroad and repression at home,” Biden said.

While previous sanctions have increased costs for Russia’s ability to fight in Ukraine, they appear to have done little so far to deter Putin. The Biden administration is levying additional sanctions as House Republicans are blocking billions of dollars in additional aid to Ukraine.

US Election-Year Politics

The war is becoming entangled in U.S. election-year politics, with former President Donald Trump voicing skepticism about the benefits of the NATO alliance and saying that he would “encourage” Russia to “do whatever the hell they want” to countries that, in his view, are not pulling their weight in the alliance.

Biden on Friday called on Congress to pass Ukraine aide, which has stalled since House Speaker Mike Johnson blocked votes for packages passed by the Senate for Ukraine and other countries. “Russia is taking Ukraine territory for the first time in many months,” Biden said. “But here in America, the speaker gave the house a two week vacation. They have to come back and get this done, because failure to support Ukraine in this critical moment will never be forgotten in history.”

New Sanctions

Many of the new U.S. sanctions announced Friday target Russian firms that contribute to the Kremlin’s war effort — including drone and industrial chemical manufacturers and machine tool importers — as well as financial institutions, such as the state-owned operator of Russia’s Mir National Payment System.

In response to Navalny’s death, the State Department is designating three Russian officials the U.S. says are connected to his death, including the deputy director of Russia’s Federal Penitentiary Service, who was promoted by Putin to the rank of colonel general on Monday, three days after Navalny died.

The sanctions would bar the officials from traveling to the U.S. and block access to U.S.-owned property. It is unclear, however, how many of the sanctioned officials travel to or have assets or family in the West. If they do not, the sanctions may be largely symbolic.

The U.S. also will impose visa restrictions on Russian authorities it says are involved in the kidnapping and confinement of Ukrainian children.

In addition, 26 third-country people and firms from across China, Serbia, the United Arab Emirates, and Liechtenstein are listed for sanctions, for assisting Russia in evading existing financial penalties.

Russian Response

The Russian foreign ministry said the EU sanctions are “illegal” and undermine “the international legal prerogatives of the UN Security Council.” In response, the ministry is banning some EU citizens from entering the country because they have provided military assistance to Ukraine. It did not immediately address the U.S. sanctions.

The U.S. specifically was to target individuals associated with Navalny’s imprisonment a day after Biden met with the opposition leader’s widow and daughter in California. It was also hitting “Russia’s financial sector, defense industrial base, procurement networks and sanctions evaders across multiple continents,” Biden said. “They will ensure Putin pays an even steeper price for his aggression abroad and repression at home.”

The EU asset freezes and travel bans constitute the 13th package of measures imposed by the bloc against people and organizations it suspects of undermining the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine.

“Today, we are further tightening the restrictive measures against Russia’s military and defense sector,” EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said. “We remain united in our determination to dent Russia’s war machine and help Ukraine win its legitimate fight for self-defense.”

In all, 106 more officials and 88 “entities” — often companies, banks, government agencies or other organizations — have been added to the bloc’s sanctions list, bringing the tally of those targeted to more than 2,000 people and entities, including Russian President Vladimir Putin and his associates.

Companies making electronic components, which the EU believes could have military as well as civilian uses, were among 27 entities accused of “directly supporting Russia’s military and industrial complex in its war of aggression against Ukraine,” a statement said.

Those companies — some of them based in India, Sri Lanka, China, Serbia, Kazakhstan, Thailand and Turkey — face tougher export restrictions.

The bloc said the companies “have been involved in the circumvention of trade restrictions,” and it accuses others of “the development, production and supply of electronic components” destined to help Russia’s armed forces.

Some of the measures are aimed at depriving Russia of parts for pilotless drones, which are seen by military experts as key to the war.

Since the start of the war, U.S. Treasury and State departments have designated over 4,000 officials, oligarchs, firms, banks and others under Russia-related sanctions authorities. A $60 per barrel price cap has also been imposed on Russian oil by Group of Seven allies, intended to reduce Russia’s revenues from fossil fuels.

Critics of the sanctions, price cap and other measures meant to stop Russia’s invasion say they are not working fast enough.

Maria Snegovaya, a senior fellow at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, said that primarily sanctioning Russia’s defense industry and failing to cut meaningfully into Russia’s energy revenues will not be enough to halt the war.

“One way or another, they will have to eventually address Russia’s oil revenues and have to consider an oil embargo,” Snegovaya said. “The oil price cap has effectively stopped working.”

Treasury Deputy Secretary Wally Adeyemo, in previewing the new sanctions, told reporters that the U.S. and its allies will not lower the price cap; “rather what we’ll be doing is taking actions that will increase the cost” of Russia’s production of oil.

He added that “sanctions alone are not enough to carry Ukraine to victory.”

“We owe the Ukrainian people who have held on for so long the support and resources they desperately need to defend their homeland and prove Putin wrong once and for all time.”

 

RELATED TOPICS:

DON'T MISS

What Are Fresno Real Estate Experts Predicting for 2025 and Beyond?

DON'T MISS

First California EV Mandates Hit Automakers This Year. Most Are Not Even Close

DON'T MISS

Muslim Countries to Set up Contact Group to Seek Israel-Iran De-Escalation

DON'T MISS

Visalia Police Seek Public’s Help in Sexual Assault Investigation

DON'T MISS

Despite Clashes With US Presidents, Israel’s Netanyahu Usually Gets His Way

DON'T MISS

Pope Leo Urges International Diplomacy to Prevent ‘Irreparable Abyss’

DON'T MISS

Oil to Open Higher as US Strikes on Iran Boost Supply Risk Premium

DON'T MISS

US Strikes Against Iran Not Aimed at Regime Change, Pentagon Chief Says

DON'T MISS

US Bombing of Iran Started With a Fake-Out

DON'T MISS

Pakistan Condemns Trump’s Bombing of Iran a Day After Nominating Him for Peace Prize

DON'T MISS

World Awaits Iran’s Response After Trump Says US ‘Obliterates’ Nuclear Sites

DON'T MISS

Mariska Hargitay Comes to Terms With a Lifetime of Family Secrets

UP NEXT

Visalia Police Seek Public’s Help in Sexual Assault Investigation

UP NEXT

Despite Clashes With US Presidents, Israel’s Netanyahu Usually Gets His Way

UP NEXT

Pope Leo Urges International Diplomacy to Prevent ‘Irreparable Abyss’

UP NEXT

Oil to Open Higher as US Strikes on Iran Boost Supply Risk Premium

UP NEXT

US Strikes Against Iran Not Aimed at Regime Change, Pentagon Chief Says

UP NEXT

US Bombing of Iran Started With a Fake-Out

UP NEXT

Pakistan Condemns Trump’s Bombing of Iran a Day After Nominating Him for Peace Prize

UP NEXT

World Awaits Iran’s Response After Trump Says US ‘Obliterates’ Nuclear Sites

UP NEXT

Mariska Hargitay Comes to Terms With a Lifetime of Family Secrets

UP NEXT

Mysterious Ancient Humans Now Have a Face

Putin Says US Strikes on Iran Are Pushing World to ‘Very Dangerous Line’

54 minutes ago

Israel Signals Iran Campaign Can End Soon but Much Hinges on Tehran

57 minutes ago

Valley Crime Stoppers’ Most Wanted Person of the Day: Melissa Helen Alexander

1 hour ago

Explosions Heard Over Qatar Capital Doha After Iran Threat to Retaliate for US Strikes

2 hours ago

How Many Alleged Drunk Drivers Did Fresno Police Nab Over the Weekend?

2 hours ago

Teen Accused as Getaway Driver in Caleb Quick Murder Appears in Court. Defense Waives Key Hearing

2 hours ago

Thunder Cap Incredible Season by Beating Pacers for NBA Title

3 hours ago

US Power Prices Soar as Brutal Heat Wave Stresses Power Grids

3 hours ago

Israeli Strikes on Iran May Have Violated International Law, UN Mission Says

4 hours ago

How the Attacks on Iran Are Part of a Much Bigger Global Struggle

4 hours ago

Zelenskyy Arrives in UK After Russian Attack on Kyiv Kills at Least 8

KYIV, Ukraine — President Volodymyr Zelenskyy of Ukraine arrived in Britain on Monday to press for more military support for his embattled n...

19 minutes ago

19 minutes ago

Zelenskyy Arrives in UK After Russian Attack on Kyiv Kills at Least 8

Russia's Security Council's Deputy Chairman Dmitry Medvedev attends a meeting of the Council for Science and Education at the Joint Institute for Nuclear Research in the Moscow region's city of Dubna, Russia June 13, 2024. (Reuters File)
43 minutes ago

Trump Slams Medvedev for Claiming Nations May Supply Iran With Nuclear Warheads

Traces are seen in the sky after Iran's armed forces say they targeted The Al-Udeid base in a missile attack, as seen from Doha, Qatar, June 23, 2025. REUTERS/Stringer
46 minutes ago

Iran Says It Fires Missiles at US Airbase in Qatar, Explosions Heard Over Doha

Russian President Vladimir Putin attends a meeting with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi, as Head of the Russian General Staff's Main Intelligence Directorate Igor Kostyukov, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and Presidential Aide Yury Ushakov sit nearby, at the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia June 23, 2025. Sputnik/Alexander Kazakov/Pool via REUTERS
54 minutes ago

Putin Says US Strikes on Iran Are Pushing World to ‘Very Dangerous Line’

Rescuers and security personnel work at the impacted site after a missile attack from Iran, amid the Iran-Israel conflict in Tel Aviv, Israel June 22, 2025. (Reuters/Tomer Appelbaum)
57 minutes ago

Israel Signals Iran Campaign Can End Soon but Much Hinges on Tehran

Melissa Helen Alexander is Valley Crime Stoppers' Most Wanted Person of the Day for June 23, 2025. (Valley Crimes Stoppers)
1 hour ago

Valley Crime Stoppers’ Most Wanted Person of the Day: Melissa Helen Alexander

A boy rides a scooter near a damaged car at an impact site following Iran's strike on Israel, amid the Iran-Israel conflict, in Haifa, Israel, June 22, 2025. (Reuters/Florion Goga)
2 hours ago

Explosions Heard Over Qatar Capital Doha After Iran Threat to Retaliate for US Strikes

2 hours ago

How Many Alleged Drunk Drivers Did Fresno Police Nab Over the Weekend?

Help continue the work that gets you the news that matters most.

Search

Send this to a friend