The White House says it is preparing additional “significant sanctions” against Russia in response to the death of opposition leader Alexei Navalny in an Arctic exile colony.
National security adviser Jake Sullivan said the sanctions, imposed on the second anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, “will be a substantial package covering a range of different elements of Russia’s defense industrial base, as well as Russia’s revenue sources.” The economy powers Russia’s war machine, it powers Russia’s aggression, it powers Russia’s repression. “
National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said on Tuesday that the United States had not determined the cause of Navalny’s death last week but insisted that ultimate responsibility lay with Putin.
“Whatever the scientific answer is, Putin is responsible,” he told reporters.
Russian authorities have said Navalny’s cause of death remains unclear and have refused to hand over his body for the next two weeks while a preliminary investigation continues, members of Navalny’s team said.
The U.S. Treasury Department declined to comment on the details of the upcoming sanctions. Brian Nelson, the State Department’s undersecretary for terrorism and financial intelligence, traveled to Europe this week to continue work on Russia sanctions ahead of the second anniversary.
“Global coalitions have imposed unprecedented sanctions on the Russian war machine, complicating the Kremlin’s efforts to equip and supply the military. President Biden recently expanded the authority of the Treasury Department to target those who fund Russia’s war production activities— Treasury is aggressively pursuing those who try to evade our sanctions, even if they are located in a third country,” the Treasury Department said last week. “Multilateral sanctions and export controls force Putin to make difficult trade-offs, harming his ability to project power now and in the future.”
Policy experts have floated a series of proposals aimed at starving Russia of the funds it needs to continue its invasion – from seizing Russian central bank funds largely held in Europe to lowering the G7 price cap on Russian oil.
A February working paper from Stanford University’s International Working Group on Russia Sanctions called for tougher sanctions on Russia’s energy markets — from lowering the current price cap of $60 for Russian-produced oil to $30, and completing the EU and G7 Ban on Russian oil hydrocarbons.