US to impose ‘sweeping’ sanctions on Russia over Ukraine war: W.House

The United States will announce “sweeping” new economic sanctions against Russia and more support for Ukraine on Friday, a year after President Vladimir Putin ordered the ongoing invasion of Ukraine, the White House said.

“The United States will implement sweeping sanctions against key sectors that generate revenue for Putin,” Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters Thursday.

Ukraine will dominate a virtual summit of the G7 countries Friday — Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and the United States — that will also be joined by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

“Leaders will discuss how we continue supporting Ukraine,” Jean-Pierre said.

However, she would not say whether the new US measures would be mirrored by the G7 partners.

Among specific targets of the sanctions will be banks and entities that help Moscow evade the waves of sanctions already imposed in the wake of its February 24, 2022 invasion.

The United States will target Russian banks and the defense industry, as well as “actors in third party countries that are attempting to backfill and evade our sanctions,” Jean-Pierre said.

“We will also announce new economic energy and security assistance to help the Ukrainians continue to succeed, protect the people from Russian aggression and enable the Ukrainian government to provide basic services such as electricity and heat,” she said.