The US announced new sanctions on Wednesday that target Russian President Vladimir Putin’s two daughters, two Russian banks, and ban US investments in Russia.
The Treasury Department said the sanctions targeted Sberbank, Russia’s largest state-owned bank, and Alfa-Bank, the country’s largest private bank. The Treasury described the measures as “full blocking sanctions,” but US officials told Reuters that energy transactions are exempt as the US’s European allies are still very reliant on Russian oil, gas, and coal.
Besides sanctioning Putin’s daughters, the new measures also hit the wife and daughter of Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov. Members of Russia’s Security Council were also targeted, including former President Dmitry Medvedev.
President Biden also signed an executive order banning anyone in the US from making new investments in Russia.
The UK announced similar sanctions on Wednesday that prohibit investments in Russia and target the Sberbank. The British also sanctioned Russian billionaire Moshe Kantor, who serves as President of the European Jewish Council. The EJC said the move was “misguided,” noting that Kantor hadn’t lived in Russia for years.
So far, the US-led Western sanctions campaign against Russia has done nothing to stop the fighting in Ukraine and doesn’t appear to be hurting Putin. In March, the Russian leader’s approval rating soared to 83%, up from 69% in February.
The Russian ruble has almost totally recovered from the crash that it took when Russia first invaded Ukraine. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen insisted that despite the ruble’s recovery, Russia’s economy is still “reeling.”
Yellen said that the US goal in its sanctions campaign is to inflict “maximum pain” on Russia’s economy while shielding the US and its European allies from the impact. But Europe is already preparing for gas rationing, and the sanctions came as Americans are facing soaring high gas prices and inflation. President Biden has said that the sanctions would hurt the US to some extent and even warned of “real” food shortages across the world.
This has got so petty the suspicion arises of desperation in DC.
Under our Constitution, it is an illegal taking. Theft. One of the best explanations comes from Andrew Napolitano in this You Tube segment: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NGMuBIdlCM4
Most of what our government does violates the constitution.
When dollar loses its status as reserved currency in a near future and countries like China, Russia, India and Iran trades in their own currency, the US sanction does not mean a damn thing and it only serves US Ego….!
That’s what I’m hoping for. The world will be a much better place without dollar hegemony. And without US hegemony in all things.
Let’s pray together, comrades. 🙏
And then you woke up and realised it was just a wet dream of yours…
This does not seem to be a logical tactic, when one considers the reverberating effects and costs to other countries. It rather appears like a contagion…
Further, at what point might Russia consider this to be an act of war?…
It is hard not to imagine Joe Biden, rubbing his hands together, joyfully, with a wicked grin across his face, seeming to say: “I kicked Russia’s a–, jolly good for me!…”
I wonder when Putin will lose his patience, and totally cut off any country that supports these sanctions or has sent weapons to Ukraine. That’s what he’s being pushed into.
He is desperate for any US dollars or euros that he can receive, so to answer your question: Not very likely at all.
Russia is prevented from using euros or dollars because of sanctions. So, why would Russia be “desperate” to receive dollars or euros that are useless ?
Have any of the geniuses in the West thought this through? Russia can get consumer goods from China without the middle men. Pharmaceuticals they can get from India. Without the middlemen. Industrial… China. High tech: hacked.
The US cannot even get people in orbit without Russia. Even NATO members buy defense equipment from Russia. US and Europe farmers can’t get high yields w/o Russian fertilizer. German Industry cannot function w/o Russian natural gas. Western companies that use Russian aluminum or will have to raise prices or go bankrupt. Rare earth materials are used to manufacture cutting edge electronic devices. Guess where a lot of this material comes from? Well, China AND Russia. Better play nice with China if Russia is out of the picture.
Not very bright people are pushing this narrative.
Did it ever occur to some that the sanctions on Russia will effect the worlds price of wheat? The increase in prices to undeveloped nations is likely to destabilize some countries.
What would Putin do if he could receive US dollars or euros?
He would immediately exchange then for rubles in order to support the exchange rate.
So, why do you think Putin wants to be paid in rubles all of a sudden?
The answer is simple, whoever buys gas or oil from Russia would then have to go and by rubles in the market (and the exchange rate for rubles would go up!).
Hence, it doesn’t matter for Putin if he’s paid in euros or rubles, the effect is the same.
I don’t think you thought that one through, comrade.
Who cares? Certainly they don’t.
“”The British also sanctioned..the..President of the European Jewish Council””
oh now you’ve done it you morons