Washington.- President Joe Biden on Wednesday expanded his campaign to deprive to the Russian president, Vladimir Putin, of resources to finance his war in Ukraineand assured that he is “documenting” what he considers to be deliberate attacks on civilians in that country.
By announcing new sanctions against Russia and Belarusa, the US government warned that Moscow is preparing “to increase brutality” of his campaign against Ukraine, and condemned his tactics in a war in which more than 2,000 Ukrainian civilians have already been killed, according to Kiev.
The president assured that it is “early to say” if Russia is committing war crimes, but accused Moscow to deliberately attack areas of Ukraine where there is a large civilian population.
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“It’s clear they’re doing it,” he said. Biden when asked about it before leaving the White House for Wisconsin.
“deliberate” attacks
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken later opined that Russia is launching “indiscriminate” and possibly “deliberate” attacks against the Ukrainian civilian population.
“We are taking note of what is happening to civilians in Ukraine. We are documenting it to make sure, among other things, that they are held accountable for it,” Blinken told a news conference.
The head of Foreign Affairs, who begins a tour of Europe this Thursday, called it “shameful” that the Russian attacks have affected “schools, hospitals and homes” of Ukraineand stressed that they have destroyed crucial infrastructure for the supply of water and gas to civilians.
“In the coming days, the number of civilians killed and injured, and the humanitarian consequences, will continue to grow,” Blinken warned.
Russia is taking Ukraine “cluster munitions and vacuum bombs” or thermobaric bombs, prohibited by international conventions, the US ambassador to the UN, Linda Thomas-Greenfield, assured a few hours earlier in a speech.
The words of the ambassador, who cited a video that showed this alleged movement, come after several human rights organizations accused Russia of using cluster bombs in Ukraine, an extreme that United States has not confirmed.
More sanctions on Russia and Belarus
While, United States continued its pressure campaign against Putin, which already includes sanctions on 80% of the assets of the russian banksaccording to the Treasury Department.
The restrictions imposed this Wednesday are aimed at 22 entities related to the Russian defense sector, These include companies that make combat aircraft and vehicles, electronic systems, missiles and drones for Russia’s military, the White House said.
In addition, the Department of Commerce ordered to restrict those exports of technology that could favor “Russian capacity to refine (petroleum) in the long term.”
This is one more step in the complicated mission of the United States, which has proposed to weaken the status of Russia as a major exporter of gas and oil, but without affecting global markets too much.
Biden He did not rule out this Wednesday vetoing US imports of Russian oil, which account for just 7% of the total crude oil and derivative products that the United States buys annually, according to official data.
“Nothing is off the table,” said the president when asked about it.
Sales of gas and oil constitute the main foreign income of Russiaand its main market is the European Union (EU), which has so far been reluctant to cut its imports of those fossil fuels from Moscow.
On the other hand, the Biden administration tried this Wednesday to tighten its financial yoke to Belarus, an ally of Russia, in order to prevent Putin can rely on his partner to supply himself and pay for his invasion of Ukraine.
The US Department of Commerce extended to Belarus the rigid export control policies it has imposed on Russiato “prevent the diversion of products, technologies and software” through that country.
The measure prevents from this Wednesday the US export of any material that can “support the defense, maritime and aerospace industries” of Belarusspecified the Department of Commerce.
Finally, that department announced that it will add to its list of sanctions more companies and entities that may have supported in some way the military and security services of Russia and Belarus.
The siege of the oligarchs
Meanwhile, the Department of Justice reported the creation of a working group called “KleptoCapture”, dedicated to investigating and prosecuting Russian officials and oligarchs who violate the sanctions of United Statesas Biden advanced in his State of the Union address.
That group is made up of experts in sanctions, money laundering, taxation and the fight against corruption, and can result in the seizure of yachts, private planes or luxury apartments owned by those around the Kremlin.
According to The Washington Post, the Biden government is also preparing to expand its list of sanctioned Russian oligarchs so that it overlaps more with the one announced on Monday by the EU.
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The Russian oligarch from the metal sector Alisher Usmanov, with an estimated fortune of more than 14,000 million dollars and who is already subject to sanctions from Brussels, could appear on that list.
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