Biden Administration Imposes Sweeping Sanctions to Hinder Russia’s Weapon Procurement

New export restrictions against more than 100 companies that have supported Russia
Individuals related to the death of Navalny in jail are also on the list
Putin will pay a high price

The U.S. government is imposing over 500 large-scale new sanctions targeting Russia, which invaded Ukraine. This sanction package is the largest single set of sanctions imposed on Russia by the West since the outbreak of the Ukraine war in February 2022.

Reuters reported on the 23rd (local time) that U.S. President Joe Biden announced these measures in a statement. The sanctions target Russia’s financial sector, defense industry base, procurement network, and global sanction evaders. Individuals related to the suspicious death of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny in prison are also included in the sanction targets. These sanctions prevent Russia from obtaining the materials needed to make weapons and slow down the funding process for Russia to make weapons. President Biden emphasized that “(Russian President Vladimir) Putin will pay a high price for aggression abroad and repression at home.”

According to the statement, the measures include new export restrictions against more than 100 companies that have supported war materials to Russia and actions to reduce Russia’s energy revenue. Earlier, U.S. Treasury Secretary Wally Adeyemo hinted to Reuters that other Western countries would cooperate in the sanctions, stating, “It’s important that the U.S. is not the only one taking these actions.”

President Biden also urged the U.S. House of Representatives to pass a bill to support Ukraine. He stressed that “the Ukrainian people have been fighting bravely for two years since the war started, but they are short of ammunition,” and “Ukraine needs more support from the U.S. to resist Russia’s relentless attacks armed with weapons and ammunition from Iran and North Korea.” President Biden pointed out that “this is why the House must pass a bipartisan national security bill before it’s too late” and “opposing this bill is nothing but playing into Putin’s hands.”

Democratic Senators, including Chuck Schumer, who led the processing of the Ukraine support bill in the U.S. Senate, are planning to visit Ukraine today to express their support. Schumer said, “We will show that the U.S. supports and fights to secure support for the Ukrainian people and that the U.S. does not abandon NATO and our allies in Europe.” The U.S. announced yesterday that it is considering supporting Ukraine with missiles. In response to a question about whether there are plans to supply the ATACMS surface-to-surface missile, which has a longer range than the medium-range missile previously provided, to Ukraine, John Kirby, the White House National Security Communications Assistant, suggested the possibility of support, saying, “This is something we have been discussing with Ukraine.”