The United States is preparing a new package of sanctions against Russia in case it decides to invade Ukraine again. These are the most powerful restrictive measures that have ever been applied to the country, according to CNN. The TV channel's interlocutor adds: if the Russian Federation invades, it will face more serious sanctions than those against the DPRK and Iran.
Washington does not exclude, in particular, imposing sanctions against the circle of Russian President Vladimir Putin and in relation to the national debt, striking the energy companies of the Russian Federation, and disconnecting the country from the financial payment system SWIFT.
"They (sanctions—
) include new measures against Putin's inner circle and Russian energy producers, as well as one potential "nuclear" option—disconnecting Russia from the international payment system SWIFT used by banks around the world," the TV channel article states.
So far, there is no final decision on imposing the sanctions. The White House is reportedly in talks with European allies to coordinate a response to Russia's aggressive actions against Ukraine.
Context. In early December, Moscow said that if new "hellish" sanctions had been introduced, Russia would of course react. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov stressed that such a step was a "dead end" that, in fact, may turn against its initiators.
Currently, Russia is taking the same steps as in April of this year, and is pulling in troops and equipment to the borders. During the last amassing of forces, the US and the EU threatened the Russian Federation with imposing sanctions against Nord Stream 2 and Russian oligarchs, as well as disconnecting the country from SWIFT.
Ukrainian intelligence expects a new Russian invasion of Ukraine in late January—early February. American colleagues confirm these predictions and call on Europe to develop a joint action plan to contain the Kremlin as soon as possible. At the same time, the RF assures that the dissemination of such data is a "hysteria", allegedly artificially whipped up by Washington.
