US Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) on Friday (local time) sanctioned Russian President Vladimir Putin, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, and members of Russia’s Security Council in response to Russia’s “unjustified, unprovoked and premeditated” invasion of Ukraine. “These actions impose unprecedented diplomatic and economic costs on Russia and further isolate it from the global financial system and the international community,” the US Department of the Treasury said in a statement.
According to the statement, Putin and Lavrov are directly responsible for Russia’s unprovoked and unlawful further invasion of Ukraine, a democratic sovereign state. Earlier in the press briefing, White House spokesperson Jen Psaki stated that the US will join the EU in sanctioning Putin and Lavrov. “In addition, today the U.S. Department of State designated two additional Government of Russia (GoR) officials and members of Russia’s Security Council directly responsible for the further invasion of Ukraine: Minister of Defense of the Russian Federation, Sergei Shoigu, and Chief of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces, First Deputy Minister of Defense, and General of the Army Valery Gerasimov,” read the statement.
Treasury has previously designated eleven members of the Russian Security Council and will continue to impose costs on the ruling elite as Russia prosecutes this brutal war of choice, the statement said. “Treasury is continuing to inflict costs on the Russian Federation and President Putin for their brutal and unprovoked assault on the people of Ukraine. As President Biden said yesterday, Putin rejected every good faith effort the United States and our allies and partners made to address our mutual security concerns through dialogue to avoid needless conflict and avert human suffering,” said Secretary of the Treasury Janet L. Yellen.
“We are united with our international allies and partners to ensure Russia pays a severe economic and diplomatic price for its further invasion of Ukraine. If necessary, we are prepared to impose further costs on Russia for its appalling behavior on the world stage,” Yellen added
