The United States will join the European Union in imposing direct sanctions on Russian President Vladimir Putin and Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, the White House confirmed on Friday.
Phil Mattingly and Jeremy Herb of CNNreported on Friday that the US planned to impose sanctions on Russian President Vladimir Putin, according to two people familiar with the decision.
White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said the decision came after a phone call between President Joe Biden and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.
“The United States will join them in sanctioning President Putin and Foreign Minister Lavrov and members of the Russian national security team,” he said. “I hope we have more specific details later this afternoon.”
Asked what changed between Friday and Thursday, when Biden announced a new round of sanctions that did not include Putin, Psaki said the option “has been under consideration and has been on the table for some time.”
“The president’s strong vision and strong principle since the beginning of this conflict, and even before I should say it, has been to take actions and steps in alignment with our European partners, and this is certainly evidence of that,” said Psaki.
The Russian leader will become the most prominent target in the effort to impose costs on the Russian economy and Putin’s inner circle after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Additional Russian officials will likely be included, one of the people said.
The European Union and the United Kingdom also announced that they would introduce sanctions against Putin and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on Friday.
More background: The decision to target Putin squarely at Western allies marks the most personal escalation in a sweeping effort to respond to Russia’s actions through economic penalties. While the extent of the direct effect is unclear — officials have long said Putin’s finances are opaque and difficult to track — the symbolism of attacking the Russian leader is clear.
Source: CNN Brasil
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