The sanctions package was already being planned to mark the second anniversary of the war in Ukraine, a senior US official says.
The United States will impose major sanctions on Russia on Friday over the death of opposition leader Alexei Navalny and the ongoing conflict in Ukraine, President Joe Biden announced Tuesday, without providing further details.
According to White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan, the latest sanctions on Russia will target a number of elements, including the country's industrial and defense bases, along with sources of revenue for the economy. political reported.
The package will “hold Russia accountable for what happened to Mr. Navalny” and for its actions during the war in Ukraine, White House national security spokesman John Kirby said.
A senior US official said a sanctions package was already being planned to mark the second anniversary of the war, which Washington will now reconsider and supplement in response to Navalny's death.
Two sources familiar with the matter said Treasury Undersecretary for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence Brian Nelson, who is traveling to Europe this week, is discussing sanctions over Navalny's death.
The Treasury said Nelson is also discussing Washington's authority to target those financing Russia's war production efforts, even if they are in third countries. He added that the United States is “aggressively pursuing those who try to evade our sanctions.”
The United States has imposed a wide range of sanctions on Russia, including President Vladimir Putin, officials and banks, following the Russian invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022.
The sanctions also targeted Navalny's poisoning and imprisonment in 2020, targeting people linked to Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB) and other officials.
Navalny, Putin's fiercest domestic critic, fell unconscious and died suddenly on Friday after a walk in the “Polar Wolf” penal colony above the Arctic Circle, where he was serving a three-decade sentence, the prison service said.
