US Treasury Secretary Yellen spoke about the global consequences of Western sanctions against Russia
Janet Yellen. Photo: Elizabeth Frantz / Reuters
US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen warned that if the West imposes new restrictions on Russia, “global consequences” will become inevitable, RIA Novosti reports citing AFP.
Consequences
The US Treasury Secretary said the agency is working with European allies to develop a series of financial sanctions that could affect individuals and companies and “could certainly include export controls.”
We recognize that sanctions will have some global implications
Janet Yellen US Secretary of the Treasury
Yellen added that Washington is working to effectively protect its European partners from the “adverse impact” of sanctions. The United States is doing this in an effort to ensure the supply of energy resources to the continent.
New sanctions
On February 15, the US Senate postponed the draft sanctions against Russia. Politicians said they did not have time to consider and adopt a bill on anti-Russian measures before February 16 – the date of Russia's “invasion” of Ukraine, which was announced by US President Joe Biden. The British publications The Mirror and The Sun also reported the time of the attack by Russian troops – 04:00 Moscow time (03:00 Kiev time).
Later, the Senate promised to support sanctions against Russia as the crisis in Ukraine escalated. The document of the leaders of the Democratic and Republican parties in the upper house of the American legislature emphasizes that if Ukraine's sovereignty is violated, Russia is obliged to “pay a high price.”
White House press secretary Jen Psaki allowed the imposition of sanctions against the inner circle of Russian President Vladimir Putin. “A number of sanctions are being considered against his inner circle,” she stressed.
Biden on sanctions
President Joe Biden also said that the US and its allies have developed a package of restrictions against Russia in the event of an invasion of Ukraine. He stressed that these “heavy export control sanctions”, which the US did not use in 2014, will put “powerful pressure on the most significant financial institutions and key industries.”
I won't pretend it won't hurt. This could affect energy prices.
Joe BidenPresident of the United States
The American leader also assessed the consequences of Western sanctions against Russia. He stated that the restrictions could cause fuel prices to rise. In addition, Biden promised to stop the Russian Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline in the event of an attack on Ukraine.
Fake about Russia's “invasion”
Predictions about a Russian invasion of Ukraine on February 16 have not come true. It was this date that Biden called the day of the alleged Russian offensive. However, the country's troops continued to retreat to places of permanent deployment, and the command announced the completion of joint exercises with the armed forces of Belarus.
US State Department spokesman Ned Price said that Washington has never given a specific date for the start of the escalation. He added that the failed “invasion” does not indicate that US intelligence received incorrect information.
Russia's position
Permanent Representative of Russia to the European Union (EU) Vladimir Chizhov denied reports of a possible Russian invasion of Ukraine on Wednesday, February 16. “Wars in Europe rarely start on a Wednesday,” he stressed.
Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova urged Biden to fire his analysts who predicted an escalation in Ukraine. She also turned to the West with a request to prove the absence of plans for aggression against Russia after the fake about the invasion.
Now let's talk differently. Let them now prove that they have no intention of committing aggressive actions against our country or any other
Maria ZakharovaOfficial Representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry
Russian presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Vladimir Putin was joking about the date of Russia's invasion of Ukraine. According to him, the head of state asked to find out “whether the exact time in hours when the war starts” is published anywhere. Peskov called the information about a possible Russian attack on Ukraine “manic informational madness” that is impossible to understand.
