White House Vows More Russia Sanctions Over Ukraine

State Dept: Sanctions Will Wait Until After Geneva Talks

White House officials confirmed that they have finished preparations to impose yet more sanctions on Russia, though they declined to provide any indication what form those would take.

Press secretary Jay Carney insisted that the US would continue “active” preparation of more and more sanctions against Russia, and that they were “consequences” for Russia’s violation of Ukrainian sovereignty.

The State Department concurred on the sanctions, but said they would not be imposed until after tomorrow’s Geneva talks with Russia, Ukraine, and the European Union.

State Department spokesswoman Marie Harf insisted Russia had to “de-escalate” the situation in eastern Ukraine if it wanted to be spared the new sanctions, though ironically the White House has endorsed the military escalation in the region as necessary for “law and order” in Ukraine, and has not publicly counseled any caution in Ukraine’s invasion of protester-held cities.

Author: Jason Ditz

Jason Ditz is Senior Editor for Antiwar.com. He has 20 years of experience in foreign policy research and his work has appeared in The American Conservative, Responsible Statecraft, Forbes, Toronto Star, Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Providence Journal, Washington Times, and the Detroit Free Press.