Washington — With the White House calling Russian deployments in eastern Ukraine an invasion, it’s expected to follow up with tough sanctions. President Joe Biden has made clear the United States intends to deploy sweeping financial penalties, not American troops, to hit Russia over President Vladimir Putin’s moves against Ukraine.
The Biden administration says its toughest sanctions package, already worked out in consultation with European allies, would be enough to hit Putin and Russia’s elites, cripple Russia’s ability to do business internationally, and likely bring on a recession there.
Here’s a look at some of the tougher possible penalties that U.S. leaders have been holding in abeyance — while watching for new Russian steps against Ukraine, including any possible Russian moves against additional Ukraine territory. The U.S. has yet to fully disclose which of the options it will use.
Reluctant to split with ally Germany, Biden has warded off repeated attempts in Congress to impose financial sanctions on any company or person that does business that involves Nord Stream 2, effectively making it financially impossible for the pipeline to operate. It’s unclear if the U.S. might still impose its own sanctions on Nord Stream 2, to amplify the actions that Germany just took.
Biden made clear in recent weeks that Nord Stream had no chance if Russia invaded Ukraine. ’Then there will be no longer a Nord Stream 2. We will bring an end to it,” Biden said.
