Biden to impose new sanctions against Russian politicians, oligarchs

Washington [US], March 24 (ANI)

US President Joe Biden will unveil new sanctions against Russian politicians and oligarchs during a series of summits in Brussels on Thursday, according to a media report.

The US President will also discuss NATO's force posture on its eastern edge and contingency plans for the potential use of chemical or nuclear weapons by Russia, reported CNN citing a statement by US national security adviser Jake Sullivan, who was aboard the flight as Biden headed to Europe. Speaking on the new sanctions to be imposed against Russia, Sullivan said that during a G7 meeting, Biden and fellow leaders will "agree on an initiative to coordinate on sanctions enforcement" aimed at disallowing Russian efforts to evade existing sanctions.

Biden will also "announce a package of sanctions designations tomorrow that relate both to political figures and oligarchs," said US national security adviser.

A discussion regarding the sanctions will be held at the European Union, along with how to manage China as it considers providing military assistance to Russia, CNN reported.

Sullivan further said that Biden will also "consult on potential contingencies" regarding potential cyberattacks or the use of chemical or biological weapons, along with "how to deal with the rhetoric and the commentary coming out of Russia on this whole question of the potential use of nuclear weapons."

He said US concerns regarding chemical or nuclear weapons were based on the "deliberate drumbeat of misinformation, propaganda and lies on this subject that has all the markers of a precursor to them actually using these weapons."

Sullivan's remarks came following Russia's refusal to rule out the use of nuclear weapons. Russian President Vladimir Putin's spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said that if there is an existential threat for Russia, the country can use the nukes.

According to Sullivan, Biden will begin at NATO by meeting Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg "to check signals" and get on the same page for the ensuing summit.

The priorities during the summit will be "how we make sure that we're continuing to support Ukraine and its effort to defend itself," said Sullivan, according to the media outlet.

He added that the leaders would ratify certain decisions taken by defence ministers last week, and task their military and political officials to chalk out a "longer-term" game plan for NATO's force posture in eastern flank countries.

The new force posture will ensure "we've got a long term footprint that is matched to the new security reality that's been created both by Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine and by what's happening in Belarus," he added.