Russia said on Wednesday that the personal sanctions against Vladimir Putin would not affect the figure of the president, but that such measures would be “politically destructive”.
The Russians’ response came after US President Joe Biden said he would consider imposing personal sanctions on the Russian president if Ukraine was invaded.
Biden said on Tuesday that personal sanctions against Putin, while a rare measure, could be seen as a move by the United States and its allies to convince Moscow not to attack Ukraine.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said US deputies and senators discussing personal sanctions against top Russian leaders are ignoring the fact that they are legally barred from owning assets, property and bank accounts abroad.
Individual sanctions against Putin would not be “painful but politically destructive,” said Peskov, who has previously said the measures would result in a worsening of diplomatic relations.
Ukraine has said Russia is planning an invasion, which Moscow has denied. Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said the Russians had amassed enough forces for a full-scale offensive, but that didn’t mean there couldn’t be a later attempt.
Nearly eight years after Russia took Crimea and supported separatist guerrillas in eastern Ukraine, the former Soviet republic has become the hotspot in the most dangerous potential clash between East and West since the Cold War.
Russia says the crisis is being driven by the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) military alliance.
The Eurasian country demands security guarantees from the West, including a pledge by NATO never to admit Ukraine into its membership. Moscow sees Ukraine as a buffer zone between Russia and NATO countries.
Western allies have already threatened economic sanctions against Russia if it attacks Ukraine, and the United States is in talks with energy-producing countries and companies around the world over a possible diversion of supplies to Europe if Russia invades Ukraine.
The European Union depends on Russia to supply about a third of the gas consumed in its territory. Any disruption to Russian imports could exacerbate an energy crisis caused by shortages.
With input from Natalia Zinets, Pavel Polityuk, Matthias Williams, Tom Balmforth, Vladimir Soldatkin, Gabrielle Tétrault-Farber, Maria Kiselyova, Andrew Osborn and Alexander Marrow
Reference: CNN Brasil
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