The White House on Thursday moved to impose economic sanctions and visa restrictions on those responsible for or supporting the Russian incursion into Ukraine.
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White House press secretary Jay Carney said the State Department was moving to put in place visa restrictions on “a number of officials and individuals” responsible for or complicit in actions that threatened the sovereignty of the former Soviet republic.President Obama has also signed an executive order authorizing sanctions against those who have threatened “the peace, security, stability, sovereignty, or territorial integrity of Ukraine.”
Under the executive order, the U.S. would freeze assets, block property under U.S. jurisdiction, and prevent American companies from doing business with any individual or entity identified by the administration.
Carney called the order a “flexible tool” that would allow the U.S. to target those directly responsible for the incursion, but warned further sanctions were possible if the situation deteriorated.
“We call on Russia to take the opportunity before it to resolve this crisis through direct and immediate dialogue with the Government of Ukraine, the immediate pull-back of Russia’s military forces to their bases, the restoration of Ukraine’s territorial integrity, and support for the urgent deployment of international observers and human rights monitors who can assure that the rights of all Ukrainians are protected, including ethnic Russians, and who can support the Ukrainian government’s efforts to hold a free and fair election on May 25,” Carney said.
The White House announcement follows a number of steps taken in the immediate aftermath of the Russian move into Crimea designed to ratchet up pressure on Moscow to withdraw. The Obama administration suspended bilateral discussions with Russia on trade and investment, put on hold joint military exercises, and suspended planning for a planned G8 meeting in Sochi.
The move also builds on travel restrictions announced last month targeting members of the former Ukrainian government responsible for "undermining democratic institutions" within the country.
In his executive order, Obama described the crisis in Ukraine as an “unusual and extraordinary threat” to the national security of the United States.
While the president’s move responds to domestic political pressure to stand up to Putin, its unclear what actual impact the targeted sanctions will have. Trade between the U.S. and Russia is relatively limited, and European leaders have been reluctant to follow suit. Russia is Europe’s third-largest trading partner, and countries like Germany and France are heavily dependent on Russian gas and oil.
"Whether (sanctions) will come into force depends also on how the diplomatic process progresses," German Chancellor Angela Merkel said Thursday, according to the Associated Press.
Obama’s move comes as lawmakers on Capitol Hill are working on sanctions legislation. Senate Foreign Relations panel Chairman Robert Menendez (D-N.J.) said his committee was developing language, and planned to meet with administration witnesses on Thursday.
“We are also consulting with the administration on possible sanctions actions against individual Russians and Ukrainians that range from visa bans and asset freezes, to the suspension of military cooperation and sales, as well as economic sanctions,” he said.
House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-Va.) has also said that he’s asked his committee chairmen to work on legislation to “put pressure on Russia.” The House Foreign Relations Committee is slated to mark up a resolution urging sanctions on Thursday.
The resolution “calls on the Administration to work with our European allies and other countries to impose visa, financial, trade, and other sanctions on senior Russian Federation officials, majority state-owned banks and commercial organizations, and other state agencies, as appropriate.”
--This report was updated at 8:23 a.m.