New U.S. sanctions targeting Russia’s combat capabilities were announced Friday as part of the G-7 Japan Summit’s efforts to tighten the screws on Moscow, according to a senior U.S. Agence France-Presse official.
“All G-7 member states are preparing to impose new sanctions and export restrictions,” the official told reporters in Hiroshima on condition of anonymity.
The official did not discuss the plans of other members of the group, but together with the “basic” package of US sanctions, he said, they would “make it difficult for Russia to maintain its military machine.”
The official added that the US measures would be aimed at “substantially restricting Russia’s access to products important to its combat capabilities.”
Now Russia is under the weight of unprecedented sanctions imposed by Western countries because of the war in Ukraine.
More than a year after the start of the war, the United States and its G-7 partners are still trying to squeeze Moscow’s main sources of income, such as energy exports.
The US official said that about 70 organizations in Russia and other countries, which he did not specify, will be prevented from receiving US exports. It will also impose about 300 new fines on “individuals and legal entities, ships and aircraft.” The targets are scattered “throughout Europe, the Middle East and Asia.”
Knowing that Russia is working hard to get around the sanctions, the official said the US measures would ensure that evasive loopholes are “closed.”
In an attempt to increase pressure on Russia’s main sources of wealth, the US will continue to “put pressure on both the financial sector and Russia’s energy production capabilities in the medium and long term, and most importantly, continue to paralyze its sovereign assets.”
The official noted that during the summit, there was a strong unity among the G7 countries.
“You will see new steps taken to isolate Russia economically and weaken its ability to wage war,” he said, adding that “measures will be taken to support those principles that will be detailed in a statement by Ukraine,” which will be adopted after the summit. .
The official stressed that the US sanctions “will help to align our measures more closely with those imposed by the European Union and the United Kingdom to ensure the best possible coordination between the G7 countries.”
