WASHINGTON: The White House has indicated that US President Joe Biden's administration will sanction Russian President Vladimir Putin and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov over Moscow's ongoing military campaign in Ukraine.
"The US will join our European friends in penalising President Putin, Foreign Minister Lavrov, and members of the Russian national security team," White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said at a regular news briefing on Friday, adding that more details would be released later in the day.
The US action came after the European Union (EU) and the United Kingdom imposed sanctions against Russia's senior leadership earlier on Friday, according to reports.
On top of the so-called "first tranche" of sanctions imposed on Russian state-owned banks, the Russian sovereign debt market, and individual elites, Biden announced additional US sanctions against Russia on Thursday, targeting the country's major financial institutions as well as an additional number of Russian individuals and their family members with ties to the Kremlin.
Biden waited until after the EU and Britain imposed penalties against Russian President Vladimir Putin to decide on his own move, according to Psaki, since his "strong principle... has been to take measures and steps in alignment with our European friends." A senior administration official also stated on Friday that future US sanctions will not target Russia's oil and gas industry.
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