According to a senior national security aide, President Joe Biden plans to announce further penalties against Russia on Thursday while in Brussels for meetings with Nato and European partners.
Biden, who will address the European Council in Brussels and participate in a NATO special meeting, is also expected to emphasize measures to enforce the avalanche of current sanctions issued by the US and its partners.
“He will join our partners in imposing additional sanctions against Russia and tightening existing sanctions in order to combat sanctions evasion and ensure robust enforcement,” White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan said, declining to provide additional details about the new sanctions the president will announce.
The objective is to dissuade President Vladimir Putin from launching an invasion of any of the 30 allies, not only during this war, but for the following 5-10 years. Putin had asked, prior to starting it, that NATO halt its expansion and evacuate its military from the east. The converse is true.
The US presence in Europe has nearly doubled in the last two months, from about 80,000 to approximately 100,000 troops, virtually matching the level in 1997, when the US and its Nato allies launched an expansion of the alliance that Putin claims threatens Russia and must be reversed.
Ukraine’s President, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, has called for increased pressure on Russia. Despite the fact that the war appears to be nearing a standstill. The Ukrainian government stated on Tuesday that around 15,000 Russian servicemen had been killed in the combat, regardless of the fact that Russia’s forces have gained only a few victories and Ukraine has maintained its fierce resistance.
U.S. President Joe Biden has said Russian leader Vladimir Putin’s “back is against the wall” and he could resort to using more severe tactics in Ukraine.
On Monday, Ukraine rejected a Russian demand that it handover Mariupol, with President Zelenskyy declaring that Ukrainians will “fight to the bitter end.”
Meanwhile, the Pentagon reported that Ukrainian forces — including civilians — have mounted a fierce fight, and that the Kremlin is failing to fulfil its objectives in the country. According to Pentagon spokeswoman John Kirby, the Russians are “frustrated.”
Published by: Shivani Bhalke
Edited by: Subbuthai Padma
