US ready to impose sanctions on Russian elites close to Putin if Russia invades Ukraine

The United States and its allies have prepared a list of Russian elites in the inner circle of Russian President Vladimir Putin or people close to him to punish them financially in the event of a Russian invasion of Ukraine, a senior official said Monday. of the US government according to Reuters.

“The individuals we have identified are in or near the inner circles of the Kremlin and play a role in government decision-making or are at least complicit in the Kremlin’s destabilizing behavior,” the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity.

The United States has developed specific sanctions packages for both eligible Russian elites and their family members, and efforts are continuing in coordination with US allies and partners, the official said.

The targeting of Russian oligarchs is only part of a plan by the United States and its allies to punish Putin in the event of an invasion of Ukraine, which has amassed tens of thousands of troops on the border with Ukraine. Russia denies plans to invade Ukraine

President Joe Biden has not ruled out imposing sanctions on Putin himself.

U.S. officials have already described in detail other sanctions, including sanctions on Russian financial institutions and export control measures that could try to hit large areas of industrial and consumer technology in Russia.

The official did not give the names of the Russians who could be sanctioned.

“There is a wide list of people from whom we can draw,” the official said, noting that some would come from a list of senior Russian politicians and oligarchs.

The official said many of the individuals are particularly vulnerable targets due to deeper economic ties with the West.

“Putin’s inner circle will no longer be able to use their spouses or other family members as proxies to avoid sanctions. Sanctions will cut them off from the international financial system and ensure that they and their family members “They will no longer be able to enjoy the benefits of parking their money in the West and attending elite Western universities.”

Source: Capital

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