The US will announce further sanctions against Russia this week, according to US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan.
“You can expect further sanctions announcements this week. And we are coordinating with our allies and partners on what the exact parameters of that will be, but yes, this week we will have additional economic pressure elements to announce,” Sullivan stated during a news briefing at the White House.
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In response to recent dramatic photographs of alleged Russian atrocities in Bucha, Ukraine, US President Joe Biden told reporters earlier Monday that he was “seeking more sanctions” against Russia and would announce them soon.
He did not term the killings “genocide,” but rather “war crime,” and he called for a trial against Russian President Vladimir Putin.
The United Kingdom has also proposed expanding sanctions on Russia and increasing assistance for Ukraine, according to UK Foreign Secretary Liz Truss, who spoke alongside Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba in Warsaw on Monday.
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“It is the responsibility of the UK and our allies, and that’s what Dmytro and I have discussed today, to step up our support for our brave Ukrainian friends,” Truss stated in a news conference. “That means more weapons and more sanctions. Putin must lose in Ukraine.”
Truss stated that she will work with Britain’s partners and allies to strengthen sanctions, noting that the UK is considering additional measures such as “in banning Russian ships from our ports, in cracking down on Russian banks, in going after new industries for filling Putin’s war chest like gold, and agreeing (on) a clear timetable to eliminate our imports for Russian oil gas and coal.”
“We need to do more on oil and gas, which are key to funding Russia’s war machine,” the UK foreign secretary said. “We’ve agreed that the United Kingdom will end our imports on oil by the end of this year.”
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Truss went on to say that “no talk of removing sanctions while Putin’s troops are in Ukraine and the threat of Russian aggression looms over Europe.”
“As far as the UK is concerned, nothing is off the table in terms of sanctions,” Truss said. “We simply should not be doing business with this country. We simply should not be doing business with Putin.”
Truss also stated that Russia should be expelled from the UN Human Rights Council for “indiscriminate killing of civilians” in Ukraine, adding that “war crimes have taken place.”
“We’re all appalled by the scenes in Bucha,” Truss said. “It’s very clear that war crimes have taken place.”
Truss went on to say that the UK wants to see “justice done at the International Criminal Court” and that the UK will offer greater funding to the ICC.
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She continued, “We have seen butchering, evidence of rape and sexual violence, as well as the indiscriminate killing of civilians.”
“We will not rest until these criminals have been brought to justice. We are clear that after these appalling crimes, Russia has no place on the Human Rights Council,” said Truss.