US ramps up more sanctions against Russia, but ‘not Putin directly’
The United States has issued a new round of sanctions reports SRN News. The new sanctions were put on Russian allies and intend to ban visas and freeze assets of Igor Sechin, the executive chairman of Rosneft oil company and Sergei Chemezov, CEO of the tech company Rostec.
President Barack Obama meets with Prime Minister Vladimir Putin at his dacha outside Moscow, Russia 2009 Pete Souza photo
Even President Obama says the goal of the sanctions are to not to affect Russian President Vladimir Putin, but rather influential individuals and 17 companies.
“The goal is not to go after Mr. Putin personally. The goal is to change his calculus with respect to how the current actions that he’s engaging in Ukraine could have an adverse impact on the Russian economy over the long haul.”
Washington officials also announced their plan to deny Russia access to advanced technology items that could be used to enhance the nation’s military forces.
Amidst the new sanctions, the Ukrainian violence continues.
Pro-Russian supporters have been actively taking over government buildings and threatening Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) members, as well as other government officials.
The others namedmentioned in the sanctions talks were Oleg Belavencev, Putin’s presidential envoy to Crimea, Dmitry Kozak, deputy prime minister of the Russian Federation, Evgeniy Murov, director of Russia’s federal protective service, Aleksei Pushkov, a state Duma deputy, and Vyacheslav Volodin, a Putin adviser.
Not included was Gazprom chief Alexei Miller, a close ally of Putin who had been seen as a possible target.
“Washington is in effect reviving … an old method of restricting normal cooperation, from Cold War times, essentially chasing itself into a dark, dusty closet of a bygone era,” said Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov, describing the sanctions as illegitimate, uncivilized and in breach of international law.
In an hour-long phone call with U.S. Pentagon chief Chuck Hagel, Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu voiced concern about an “unprecedented” increase in U.S. and NATO activity near Russia’s borders and urged Hagel to help “turn down the rhetoric” over Ukraine, Moscow’s Defense Ministry said.
