Ukraine conflict: US, EU, UK sanction Russian President Vladimir Putin, top officials
Sanctions have been imposed on Russian President Vladimir Putin and
Finally, the West has intensified efforts to halt Russian attack on Ukraine. The US government and European countries have imposed sanctions on Russian President Vladimir Putin and Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on Friday.
Although the unprecedented move of sanctions against a head of state is quite rare, it seems to be the need of the hour.
In a statement late on Friday, the Treasury Department while announcing the sanctions, said, "President Putin and Minister Lavrov are directly responsible for Russia’s unprovoked and unlawful further invasion of Ukraine, a democratic sovereign state."
It said that sanctions against a head of state were "exceedingly rare". The move puts Putin on a small list, which includes the leaders of Syria, North Korea and Belarus.
US President Joe Biden decided to target Putin, Lavrov and other officials after a conversation over phone with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen earlier on Friday, White House spokesperson Jen Psaki told reporters.
Earlier on Friday, EU states and UK also agreed to freeze any European assets of Putin and Lavrov.
The US government has also sanctioned two other senior Russian officials, Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu and Chief of General Staff Valery Gerasimov, for attack on Ukraine, the Treasury Department said.
On Twitter, Psaki said that the Treasury Department would also impose sanctions on the Russian Direct Investment Fund. She described it as a "state owned financial entity that functions as a sovereign wealth fund, which is supposed to attract capital into the Russian economy in high-growth sectors."
The action against the Russian Direct Investment Fund would come in the next few days, a Treasury spokesperson said.
(With inputs from agencies)