The move was likely spurred by the announcement of new U.S. sanctions against the Russian National Payment Card system (NSPK) in February 2024, which coincided with the second anniversary of the full-scale war and the death of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny at a penal colony in Russia.
A new U.S. sanctions package against Russia may threaten Russian oil exports to India, a major source of funding for its invasion of Ukraine, Reuters reported on Feb. 28.
“Today, I am announcing more than 500 new sanctions against Russia for its ongoing war of conquest on Ukraine and for the death of Aleksei Navalny, who was a courageous anti-corruption activist and Putin’s fiercest opposition leader,” U.S. President Joe Biden said in a statement published by the White House.
U.S. President Joe Biden said on Feb. 22 he will announce sanctions against Russian leader Vladimir Putin in response to the death of Russian opposition figure Alexei Navalny.
The White House says it is preparing “major sanctions” against Russia in response to opposition leader Alexei Navalny’s murder in an Arctic penal colony late last week, U.S. National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby said on Feb. 20.
This comes shortly after the EU proposed to include similar measures in its 13th sanctions package, making it the first time the European bloc has directly targeted entities in mainland China.
Editor’s Note: This op-ed was published by Atlantic Council. It is republished here with permission. With Russian troops massed along Ukraine’s borders and Vladimir Putin threatening a potentially devastating new invasion of the country, the drumbeat of Kremlin propaganda is also becoming noticeably louder. This is no surprise.
