Joe Biden to announce new Russia sanctions while in Brussels
President Joe Biden plans to announce new sanctions against Russia on Thursday while in Brussels for meetings with NATO and European allies, according to a top national security aide. Biden, who will take part in a special meeting of NATO and address the European Council summit, is also expected to underscore efforts to enforce the avalanche of existing sanctions already announced by the U.S. and allies. “He will join our partners in imposing further sanctions on Russia and tightening the existing sanctions to crack down on evasion and to ensure robust enforcement,” said White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan, who declined to further preview new sanctions the president will announce. Biden is traveling to Brussels and Poland — which has received more than 2 million Ukrainian refugees who have fled since the February 24 invasion — looking to press for continued unity among Western allies as Russia presses on with its brutal invasion of Ukraine. In Poland, Biden will meet with Polish President Andrzej Duda, who has requested further U.S. aid and a stepped-up military presence on NATO’s eastern flank as the war grinds on. The U.S. has already more than doubled its regular troop presence of more than 4,000 U.S. troops. Currently, there are about 10,000 U.S. troops in Poland. Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, and Romania have also called for a greater NATO or U.S. military presence in recent weeks. Sullivan suggested that could be coming soon as Biden plans to have talks “on longer-term adjustments to NATO force posture on the eastern flank.” “We feel that it is the right place for him to go to be able to see troops, to be able to see humanitarian experts, and to be able to meet with a frontline and very vulnerable ally,” Sullivan said of Biden’s visit to Poland. Talks on troop adjustments are already underway. Last week, at NATO’s Brussels headquarters, U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and his counterparts weighed what defenses to set up on the organization’s eastern flank, from Estonia in the north through Latvia, Lithuania and Poland down to Bulgaria and Romania on the Black Sea. The aim is to deter President Vladimir Putin from ordering an invasion of any of the 30 allies; not just for the duration of this war but for the next 5-10 years. Before launching it, Putin had demanded that NATO stop expanding and withdraw its forces from the east. The opposite is happening. In just the past two months, the U.S. presence in Europe has jumped from about 80,000 troops to about 100,000, which is nearly as many as were there in 1997 when the United States and its NATO allies began an expansion of the alliance that Putin says threatens Russia and must be reversed. By comparison, in 1991, the year the Soviet Union dissolved, the United States had 305,000 troops in Europe, including 224,000 in Germany alone, according to Pentagon records. The number then dropped steadily, reaching 101,000 in 2005 and about 64,000 as recently as 2020. Biden and NATO have said repeatedly that while the U.S. and NATO will provide weapons and other defensive support to non-NATO member Ukraine, they are determined to avoid any escalation on behalf of Kyiv that risks a broader war with Russia. Polish leaders have called for a Western peacekeeping mission to intervene in Ukraine, a step that the U.S. and other allies worry could lead to a broadening of the war. Sullivan added that Biden will also “announce joint action on enhancing European energy security and reducing Europe’s dependence on Russian gas.” Republished with the permission of the Associated Press.
House votes to further restrict Russian trade after invasion
The House voted Thursday overwhelmingly to suspend normal trade relations with Russia and Belarus, preparing for President Joe Biden to enact higher tariffs on more products and further weaken the Russian economy in response to its military assault on Ukraine. The U.S. has already taken steps to shut off the importation of Russian oil, liquefied natural gas, seafood, alcohol, and diamonds. The vote on Thursday sets the stage for making it more expensive to import certain steel, aluminum, and plywood items, among other goods. The House vote was 424-8. The Senate is expected to take up the measure soon for final passage. The broad trade action, which would revoke “most favored nation” status for Russia, is being taken in coordination with the European Union and Group of Seven countries. The House vote came one day after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy pleaded with Congress and U.S. allies to do more to deter Russia’. “I’m asking to make sure that the Russians do not receive a single penny that they use to destroy people in Ukraine,” Zelenskyy said in a video address to Congress. In a joint statement introducing the trade bill, Reps. Richard Neal, D-Mass., and Kevin Brady, R-Texas, said Zelenskyy’s remarks “only strengthened our resolve to further isolate and weaken” Russian President Vladimir Putin. “We must do all we can to hold Putin accountable for senselessly attacking the Ukrainian people and undermining global stability,” the two lawmakers said. “The suspension of normal trade relations is an essential part of our effort to restore peace, save lives and defend democracy.” World Trade Organization rules generally require each member to provide its lowest tariff rates to all WTO members. Russia joined the WTO in 2012, and Congress overwhelmingly approved legislation that year, providing the president with the authority to extend normal trade relations status with Russia. But countries can enact exceptions to protect security interests. Still, the revocation would carry mostly symbolic weight. The earlier sanctions on imports of Russian oil, gas, and coal already cut off about 60% of U.S. imports from the country, but certain sectors of the economy could feel an effect. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said, “To date, both parties, Democrat and Republican, remain united in sending Putin a clear message: His inhumane violence against the Ukrainian people will come at a crippling price.” Tariffs make imports less competitive by increasing their costs to U.S. companies. Timothy Brightbill, a partner at Wiley Rein LLP who focuses on international trade law, said the effects on American consumers should be modest in most sectors as companies can generally turn to other suppliers. He said it’s important for U.S. supply chains not to run through Russia anymore and that consumers understand that. “Most American consumers would be happy to pay a bit more to ensure that their products and raw materials don’t support Russia and the Russian government,” Brightbill said. He also said that revoking Russia’s trade status sends a strong signal to China that the United States would not tolerate hostile actions against Taiwan. Eight Republicans voted against the House measure, but speakers from both parties forcefully advocated for its passage during the debate. Democratic Reps. Lloyd Doggett, D-Texas, and Earl Blumenauer, D-Ore., introduced an earlier version. “What Putin is doing in Ukraine, bombing civilians, targeting children, … is outside the circle of civilized human behavior,” said House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. “He is committing war crimes, and he must be held accountable.” Rep. Victoria Spartz, R-Ind., who was born in Ukraine, said the bill sends a message to Putin and his allies that “the West is serious.” “They cannot just go kill a bunch of people, destroy cities, kill women and children and then go back and have business as usual,” Spartz said. Republished with the permission of the Associated Press.
Tommy Tuberville joins colleagues demanding Russian companies be banned from U.S. capital markets
Sen. Tommy Tuberville joined Senators Jim Risch, John Cornyn, Rick Scott, Kevin Cramer, and Mike Braun in sending a letter to call on President Joe Biden to ban Russian companies from the United States financial system to ensure American investors are not invertedly providing capital to fund Russia’s war against Ukraine. The Senate Republicans also asked for secondary sanctions to block China or other adversaries from helping Russia skirt the requested sanctions on the U.S financial system. The letter states, “We write today urging you to protect American investors from unwittingly financing Vladimir Putin’s war crimes against Ukraine through their investments in index funds, ETFs, bonds, and other securities. Many Russian companies remain present in the U.S. financial system, posing a risk to investors and providing capital to the Kremlin’s war machine.” The senators commended what the Biden administration had done already, but asked for more to be done. Specifically they are asking to: Impose capital markets sanctions on all Russian owned or controlled companies and entities present in the U.S. financial system and prohibit the trading of their securities on regulated U.S. exchanges. Establish secondary sanctions to deter China or any other nations, entities, or individuals from helping Russia circumvent sanctions. “While we commend the actions being taken to remove Russian companies from U.S. markets, more must be done to ensure U.S. investors are not supporting Russian companies that currently enjoy access to U.S. capital markets,” the Senators wrote. The Senators concluded,“To pressure Russia to reverse course and end its occupation of Ukraine, all appropriate economic tools must be brought to bear.”
New U.S. sanctions target more in Vladimir Putin’s power structure
New U.S. sanctions Tuesday targeted more individuals in Russian President Vladimir Putin’s power structure, including senior Russian military officials and the leader of Kremlin-allied Belarus. A judge and an investigator in Russia’s prosecution of two outspoken critics of alleged corruption and rights abuses are also a focus of the sanctions. Some of the new sanctions were brought under the Magnitsky Act, a 2012 act of Congress that authorizes sanctions against those engaged in human rights abuses. Tuesday’s sanctions show the U.S. going after more individual officials after laying down some of the toughest sanctions of modern times against Russian institutions and top figures over Putin’s nearly 3-week-old invasion of Ukraine. “Today’s designations demonstrate the United States will continue to impose concrete and significant consequences for those who engage in corruption or are connected to gross violations of human rights,” a Treasury official, Andrea Gacki, said in a statement. That includes newly announced sanctions against Natalia Mushnikova, a Moscow judge in the case of Sergei Magnitsky, the anti-corruption whistleblower for whom the act is named. Magnitksy died in pre-trial detention in 2009 after exposing an alleged tax-fraud scheme by Russian officials. Also targeted is Nurid Salamov, a prosecuting investigator in Russia whom Treasury accuses of taking part in an allegedly trumped-up case against Oyub Titiev of the rights group Memorial. Tuesday’s sanctions also add to sanctions against Alexander Lukashenko, the longtime leader of Belarus, who is allowing Putin to use his country as a staging ground for attacks on Ukraine. They newly sanction Halina Lukashenko, wife of the Belarus leader. And other new sanctions target eight deputy Russian defense ministers and other senior military officials. Republished with the permission of the Associated Press.
Steve Milloy: Joe Biden’s America-wrecking climate agenda
President Joe Biden is driving fossil fuel-powered America into a wall so that he can replace it with a “green energy”-powered America. The Biden administration euphemizes this as a “transition.” It is not. It’s just a collision that will result in America being totaled. Since Biden became president, he has done everything in his power to de-power America. On Day 1, he killed the Keystone XL Pipeline, halted new oil and gas drilling on public lands, and rejoined the Paris climate agreement, which commits America to cutting our greenhouse gas emissions but not China’s. Biden’s Environmental Protection Agency reinstated Obama-era rules to make it more expensive to produce oil and gas, issued rules to make internal combustion engine-powered cars more expensive, and gave “green” California the unprecedented (and probably unconstitutional) authority to dictate what kind of cars all Americans can drive. Biden has empowered the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission with the authority to block new oil and gas pipelines on the basis of climate concerns and is continuing to halt new oil and gas drilling on federal lands in defiance of a federal court order. These and many other anti-fossil fuel actions have raised gasoline prices roughly one dollar per gallon since Biden took office. Then Russia invaded Ukraine, exacerbating an ongoing global energy crisis (worsened by European climate policies). Gasoline prices have increased another 60 cents since the Ukraine invasion and are not likely to stop rising any time soon. Normally in response to such an energy crisis, a U.S. president might at least temporarily put aside an unpopular political agenda to ease supply issues and alleviate pain at the pump. Not Joe Biden. He is doing anything but that. Biden first announced during his State of the Union address that he and other allied nations were going to release 60 million barrels of oil from national strategic petroleum reserves around the world, including 30 million from the United States. While that sounds like a lot, it isn’t. Given that the world burns about 100 million barrels of oil per day, it’s hard to see how a 15-hour supply of oil is going to accomplish anything other than fooling people who don’t know any better. Instead of encouraging the American oil and gas industry to produce more gasoline – remember that the U.S. essentially controlled global oil prices under President Donald Trump’s “America First” policies – Biden has gone hat in hand to despotic regimes in Iran and Venezuela and to the unreliable governments of Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, asking them to produce more oil. Faced with the problematic politics of skyrocketing gas prices in a midterm election year, the president is desperately lashing out. He has falsely accused the U.S. oil industry of profiteering. White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki has incorrectly blamed the oil industry for failing to utilize existing leases on federal lands to produce more oil. Biden is even trying to point the finger at Vladimir Putin by promoting the Twitter hashtag #PutinPriceHike. The reason for not embracing the normal and reasonable solution to the current situation – allowing the U.S. oil and gas industry to produce as much as possible, as soon as possible – is that the Biden administration intends to use the gasoline crisis to advance its elitist climate agenda. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg and Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm, for example, are touting electric cars (average price $56,000) as the solution to rising gas prices. Biden’s green supporters are advocating more wind and solar as the solution to the ongoing energy crisis because, well, “never waste a crisis.” Adding insult to injury, John Kerry said he hoped, despite the invasion of Ukraine, that Putin would keep his eye on the climate ball. The result? Americans are made to suffer unnecessarily, and national security is imperiled, all for an agenda that is junk science-fueled and impractical, regardless of how you feel about United Nations’ “climate science.” This is not rational policy. It is intentional nation-wrecking. Steve Milloy publishes JunkScience.com and is the author of “Scare Pollution: Why and How to Fix the EPA.”
Volodymyr Zelenskyy to deliver virtual address to U.S Congress
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy will deliver a virtual address to the U.S. Congress as the Russian war on his country intensifies. Zelenskyy will speak Wednesday to members of the House and Senate, the Democratic leaders announced. The event will be live-streamed for the public. “It’s such a privilege to have this leader of this country, where these people are fighting for their democracy and our democracy,” House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said Monday during an event at the Brooklyn Bridge with New York lawmakers. Pelosi said that Zelenskyy asked for the meeting when they spoke at the end of last week, and lawmakers are “thrilled” to have him address Congress. The talk comes as the Ukrainians are fighting for their country’s survival in the escalating war as Russian President Vladimir Putin intensifies his assault, including airstrikes on the capital Kyiv. Civilians in Ukraine are taking up arms to hold back Putin’s regime, but the war has launched a mass exodus of more than 2 million people from Ukraine. “The Congress, our country, and the world are in awe of the people of Ukraine,” said Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer in a statement Monday announcing the address. They said all lawmakers are invited to the talk that will be delivered via video at the U.S. Capitol. It comes as Congress recently approved $13.6 billion in emergency military and humanitarian aid for Ukraine. Joe Biden is expected to sign a big spending bill containing Ukraine aid into law on Tuesday. During Pelosi’s call last week, Zelenskyy said his country would need help rebuilding from the war. “We have to do more in terms of meeting the needs of some of the 2.7 million refugees,” she said. She said of the Ukrainians: “They’re fighting for democracy writ large.” In their statement Monday, the congressional leaders said Congress “remains unwavering in our commitment to supporting Ukraine as they face Putin’s cruel and diabolical aggression.” Pelosi and Schumer said they intend “to convey our support to the people of Ukraine as they bravely defend democracy.” Zelenskyy spoke by video with House and Senate lawmakers earlier this month, delivering a desperate plea for more military aid. Republished with the permission of the Associated Press.
Mike Durant: Delusional Joe Biden disappoints
I‘ve been clear on the record: Joe Biden disappoints me every day when he wakes up in the morning. Last week during his first State of the Union address, President Biden reaffirmed to the American people that he is delusional. Like the career politician that he is – Biden took credit in spite of the results of his actions. Biden’s sanctions did not deter Russian dictator Vladimir Putin from invading Ukraine, nor did he properly arm Ukraine with enough weapons despite knowing for months that Russia was planning to attack. Instead, the Biden Administration famously offered Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy a ride out of the country, to which this brave leader said, “The fight is here; I need ammunition, not a ride.” The heroes are not President Joe Biden or Vice President Kamala Harris, but rather Volodymer Zelenskyy, heavyweight boxing champion Oleksandr Usyk, tennis star Sergiy Stakhovsky and all the people in Ukraine who have stayed to defeat Russia and Vladimir Putin. Russia started a war with Ukraine because they saw from Afghanistan how weak President Biden is. They saw how Biden abandoned our European allies, left behind over 900 Americans, and gave control of Afghanistan to the Taliban. Back home, Biden’s policies aren’t faring much better, as inflation is increasing at a pace that we haven’t since 1982. The cost of food, electricity, and gas have all risen because the reckless spending policies from the Biden Administration and the Democrats who run Washington have made inflation worse. Biden has served in office since 1972 – so he remembers the Jimmy Carter era. But apparently, he learned nothing from it. Additionally, crime is out of control across our country. From New York City to right here in Birmingham, our cities are becoming less safe, and violent crime is on the rise. Despite the change of tone in his address last week, Joe Biden has spent the last two years standing with the radical left who wants to “defund the police.” That’s nonsense. We need to elect leaders who will always stand with law enforcement and back the blue, not politicians who pander to the liberal extremes. It’s no secret that due to the decisions by Joe Biden and Kamala Harris, we have a humanitarian crisis on our southern border. Every month, we set new records for illegal crossings at the border all because of Joe Biden’s policies of open borders, tax dollars for illegals, and allowing violent gangs into our country. President Donald Trump made it clear on day one: they’re bringing drugs, and they’re bringing crime. We stop it all by building the wall. Despite all of Biden’s gibberish during the State of the Union, here’s some plain English that we can all understand. President Joe Biden has proven himself to be an incompetent leader in the White House and the State of our Union was undoubtedly much stronger under President Donald J. Trump. Now more than ever, we need to get rid of the career politicians in Washington and return to the America First agenda to restore our great country. Mike Durant is a Republican candidate for U.S. Senate in Alabama.
Mo Brooks signs resolution to charge Vladimir Putin with war crimes if Ukrainian president harmed
Congressman Mo Brooks co-sponsored a resolution asking for Vladimir Putin to be charged with war crimes if Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is harmed by Russian forces. Texas Rep. Michael Burgess wrote resolution H.Con.Res. 76. Brooks joined U.S. Reps. Robert Aderholt, Barry Moore, and Gary Palmer in cosponsoring the resolution. “Vladimir Putin is an evil dictator. He has a long track record of poisoning and imprisoning political opponents. He has viciously brought war to the peaceful Ukrainian people. He’s a tyrant akin to the worst in world history such as the murderous Adolph Hitler, Mao Zedong, Joseph Stalin, and Pol Pot, Brooks said in a press release. Brooks emphasized the need for Putin to face stiff consequences for what he has done. “The United States and freedom-loving nations worldwide must confront him as such. If his vicious, unprovoked attack on Ukraine results in one scratch on Ukrainian President Zelensky, Putin should be charged with war crimes and brought to justice.” Brooks concluded, “History teaches us that dictators are emboldened when freedom-loving countries do nothing to confront them. Putin must face stiff consequences for his diabolical actions or he’ll continue wreaking havoc. I support making life as hellish as possible for Putin and his oligarchical cronies, and I urge the Russian people to bravely stand up and do what America regularly does: replace our political leaders. Putin has terrorized long enough.” The resolution stated that Russian entities had been linked to the poisoning of several political dissidents and Russian enemies, including Ukrainian Presidential candidate Viktor Yuschenko in 2004, Russian journalist Anna Politkovskaya in 2004, former Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) officer Alexander Litvinenko in 2006, former Russian FSB officer Sergey Skripal in 2018, and Russian opposition leader Alexey Navalny in 2020.
Lindy Blanchard: Alabama, U.S. are at a crossroads
It’s time for a new leader in Alabama — a new leader who does not do things the way they have always been done because they have always been done that way. Our state and our nation are at a crossroads. As we face rising inflation and energy costs, borders wide open, election fraud, and a decided lack of transparency in our election process as seen in 2020, we need the new direction that only an outsider can bring. True leadership takes fearlessness and boldness, two qualities I have demonstrated throughout my life and career that I would take with me into the governor’s office as Alabama’s next governor. We are seeing the importance of fighters around the nation and world right now. There’s no time for empty words or gestures. We need action. We need decisiveness. I was honored to be asked to share my experience as a U.S. ambassador under President Donald Trump at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) last week. While there, I had the opportunity to meet and speak with conservative leaders from across the nation. Governors like Ron DeSantis are showing us how things can and should be done when running a state. U.S. Senators like Marco Rubio and John Kennedy and U.S. Representatives who are holding the line in D.C. — activists who love our country and value freedom were everywhere. They share our love for this nation and our concern for its future. I was able to share how my experiences as a mother of eight, business owner of 28 years, leader of our family’s foundation for 17 years, and, most recently, as the U.S. ambassador to Slovenia have prepared me for this moment. I know how to roll up my sleeves and work hard. Through our family business and foundation, I learned to focus on what matters most: results. On my CPAC panel, we discussed the need for energy independence to drive down the high prices that we are seeing as a result of liberal policies and tax increases. I know what it will take to ease the burden of these costs for Alabama families, like freezing and rolling back the gas tax to keep money in your pockets. I know what it takes to broker deals with European nations to sell Alabama goods because I’ve done it. As your governor, I have every intention of ripping the rug out from under our state’s dependence on trade with China and Russia. The governor should be the first line of defense from federal overreach. I am prepared to stand up to Joe Biden, China, and those who want to destroy our nation from within. Weakness and complacency are where we are. Showing weakness on a world stage is how our enemies know to act against us and our allies. President Donald Trump didn’t back down from a fight, not from foreign leaders or those within his own party. It’s no coincidence Vladimir Putin waited for Joe Biden to take office before pulling what he is now. He would not have done this under Trump! As an ambassador under President Trump, I worked to strengthen our partnerships with NATO nations while pursuing Trump’s agenda to take the cost burden off the American people and have other nations pay their own way. I brokered a first-of-its-kind banking deal. I returned home from my post to sell defense goods from Redstone Arsenal to European nations. These accomplishments are why President Trump, in a room full of our nation’s most accomplished conservative leaders, activists, and former administration appointees, singled me out and acknowledged my hard work from the stage during his keynote speech saying, “Thank you, Lynda. Good job.” I have worked relentlessly for decades before deciding to run for office myself. I’ve listened to you while on the campaign trail, and I will listen to you when I’m elected as the next governor of this great state. Lindy Blanchard is running for Governor of Alabama. Visit her website for more information: BlanchardforGovernor.com.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s ‘desperate’ plea to Congress: Send more planes
Fighting for his country’s survival, Ukraine’s leader made a “desperate” plea Saturday to American lawmakers for the United States to help get more warplanes to his military and cut off Russian oil imports as Kyiv tries to stave off the Russian invasion. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy opened the private video call with U.S. lawmakers by telling them this may be the last time they see him alive. He has remained in Kyiv, the capital, which has a vast Russian armored column threatening from the north. Appearing in what is now his trademark army-green shirt in front of a white wall with the Ukrainian flag, he told them Ukraine needs to secure its skies, either through a no-fly zone enforced by NATO or through the provision of more warplanes so Ukraine could better defend itself. Zelenskyy has been pleading for a no-fly zone for days, but NATO has refused, saying it could provoke a widespread war with Russia. The hourlong exchange with some 300 members of Congress and their staffs came as Russian troops continued to shell encircled cities, and the number of Ukrainians who have fled the country grew to 1.4 million. “President Zelenskyy made a desperate plea,” said Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer. He said Zelenskyy wants the U.S. to facilitate the transfer of planes from Eastern European allies. “I will do all I can to help the administration to facilitate their transfer,” Schumer said. The U.S. is considering sending American-made F-16s as backfill to former Soviet bloc countries in Eastern Europe that are now members of NATO. They, in turn, would send Ukraine their own Soviet-era MiGs, which Ukrainian pilots are trained to fly. There appears to be a logistical problem, however, in sending the F-16s to Poland or other East European allies because of a production backlog. These countries would essentially have to give their MiGs to the Ukrainians and accept an IOU from the U.S. for the F-16s. The situation is further complicated because the next shipment of F-16s is set for Taiwan, and Congress would be reluctant to delay those deliveries as it eyes China. Secretary of State Antony Blinken indicated the fighter jets are under consideration after meeting with Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dymtro Kuleba at the Poland-Ukraine border outside the town of Korczowa. “We are talking about and working on everything,” Blinken told reporters. Blinken reiterated that the U.S. support for Ukraine “not only has been unprecedented, not only is it going to continue, it’s going to increase.” The U.S. Congress is working on a $10 billion package of military and humanitarian aid to Ukraine. Schumer told Zelenskyy lawmakers hope to send it quickly to Ukraine, according to a person on the call, and granted anonymity to discuss it. When Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell asked about the types of military support his country needs, Zelenskyy said drones as well as planes would be the most helpful. During the call, Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia asked Zelenskyy about the idea of banning the import of Russian oil to the U.S., according to two other people granted anonymity to discuss the private call. They said Zelenskyy indicated such a ban would be effective in putting pressure on Russia. Republicans and a growing number of Democrats, including Speaker Nancy Pelosi, back the idea of a Russian oil import ban. The Biden administration has so far resisted that step, worried about rising prices at the pump. Zelenskyy urged U.S. lawmakers to sanction Russia’s oil and gas sector, which has so far escaped the mounting sanctions imposed by the Biden administration and other countries. The Ukrainian leader also urged lawmakers to suspend Visa and Mastercard credit card access in Russia — and the two announced later Saturday that they were doing just that. Mastercard said cards issued by Russian banks will no longer be supported by its network, and any card issued outside the country will not work at Russian stores or ATMs. Visa said it’s working with clients and partners in Russia to cease all Visa transactions over the coming days. In a video posted to Twitter after the call, Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., said: “Anything that could hurt the Russian economy will help the Ukrainian people and may make this war more difficult for Putin.” Zelenskyy’s office said he also suggested the U.S. consider imposing an embargo on all Russian goods and stripping Russia of its most-favored-nation trade status. Lawmakers are concerned that Zelenskyy will be killed in the Russian invasion. They are also worried that a Ukrainian government under assault will be unable to function and to receive aid. When one lawmaker asked diplomatically what would happen if he was killed, Zelenskyy acknowledged the concerns but implored Congress to do whatever it can to help Ukraine fight off Russia’s assault on his country. Sen. Ben Sasse, R-Neb., said in a statement that Zelenskyy’s “message is simple: ‘close the skies or give us planes.’”
Tearful goodbyes at Kyiv train station as women and children leave for safety
A woman crouches down in the doorway of a blue and yellow train at a station in Kyiv, Ukraine’s embattled capital city. Her husband stands on the platform below and cranes his neck up for a kiss that both hope will not be their last. As the train door closes, the woman holds up their 2-year-old son and he smiles and presses his tiny hand against the smudged window to wave goodbye to his father, who is staying behind to fight the Russian invaders. Nearby, a grandmother reaches out to bid farewell to her daughter and grandson, who are on the train headed toward the border with Poland. She backs toward a wall of the train station and is soon overcome with emotion. She places her hands over her mouth, squeezes her eyes shut tight and lets the tears fall. Natalia, 57, says goodbye to her daughter and grandson on a train to Lviv at the Kyiv station, Ukraine, Thursday, March 3. 2022. (AP Photo/Emilio Morenatti) Natalia, 57, cries as she says goodbye to her daughter and grandson on a train to Lviv at the Kyiv station, Ukraine, Thursday, March 3. 2022. (AP Photo/Emilio Morenatti) These are the goodbyes that have been repeated across Ukraine in the week since Russia invaded and began pounding the country’s cities with bombs. The UN says the fighting has sent more than 1 million people fleeing the country, a number that is already the swiftest exodus of refugees this century and one that could soon skyrocket even further. Those leaving are overwhelmingly women and children. Ukrainian men have been ordered to stay and fight in the war. At the train station in Kyiv crowds of people carrying luggage stand in the cold as they wait for their chance to board a train. Mothers hold children bundled in winter jackets and stocking caps, some clutching onto stuffed animals. Men help the elderly get to the train, even using a luggage cart to carry one woman with crutches. Up and down the platform there are tearful embraces. Once on the train, many of those leaving press their faces against the windows for a last glimpse at those staying behind. One woman reaches her hand out the door for a fleeting brush of a loved one’s cheek. A woman looks toward relatives and presses her palms against a window of a Lviv bound train, on the platform in Kyiv, Ukraine, Thursday, March 3, 2022. (AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda) Women and children try to get onto a train bound for Lviv, at the Kyiv station in Ukraine, Thursday, March 3. 2022. (AP Photo/Emilio Morenatti) Tanya, 38, cries with her son Bogdan, 10, before getting a train to Lviv at the Kyiv station, Ukraine, Thursday, March 3, 2022. (AP Photo/Emilio Morenatti) Stanislav, 40, kisses his wife Anna, 35, on a train to Lviv as they say goodbye at the Kyiv station, Ukraine, Thursday, March 3. 2022. Stanislav is staying to fight while his family is leaving the country to seek refuge in a neighboring country. (AP Photo/Emilio Morenatti) A girl and her brother sit on a train bound for Lviv at the Kyiv station, Ukraine, Thursday, March 3, 2022. (AP Photo/Emilio Morenatti) Women and children try to get onto a train bound for Lviv, at the Kyiv station in Ukraine, Thursday, March 3. 2022. (AP Photo/Emilio Morenatti) A family runs over the tracks trying to board a Lviv bound train, in Kyiv, Ukraine, Thursday, March 3, 2022. (AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda) Children look out the window of an unheated Lviv bound train, in Kyiv, Ukraine, Thursday, March 3, 2022. (AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda) Women and children crowd a train bound for Lviv at the Kyiv station, Ukraine, Thursday, March 3. 2022. (AP Photo/Emilio Morenatti) Stanislav, 40, says goodbye to his son David, 2, and his wife Anna, 35, on a train to Lviv at the Kyiv station, Ukraine, Thursday, March 3. 2022. Stanislav is staying to fight while his family is leaving the country to seek refuge in a neighbouring country. (AP Photo/Emilio Morenatti) A woman with her son look at a train leaving as they try to flee at the Kyiv station, Ukraine, Thursday, March 3. 2022. (AP Photo/Emilio Morenatti) Women and children try to get onto a train bound for Lviv, at the Kyiv station in Ukraine, Thursday, March 3. 2022. (AP Photo/Emilio Morenatti) Men push a luggage trolley carrying an elderly lady before boarding a Lviv bound train, in Kyiv, Ukraine, Thursday, March 3, 2022. (AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda) Bogdan, 41, says goodbye to his wife Lena, 35, on a train to Lviv at the Kyiv station, Ukraine, Thursday, March 3. 2022. Bogdan is staying to fight while his family is leaving the country to seek refuge in a neighboring country. (AP Photo/Emilio Morenatti) A woman gets help after falling on the tracks trying to reach a Lviv bound train, in Kyiv, Ukraine, Thursday, March 3, 2022. (AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda) A child plays with a teddy bear while waiting to board a Lviv bound train, in Kyiv, Ukraine, Thursday, March 3, 2022. (AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda) A woman bids a man goodbye after boarding a Lviv bound train, in Kyiv, Ukraine, Thursday, March 3, 2022. (AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda) Republished with the permission of the Associated Press.
U.S. hits Vladimir Putin’s allies, press secretary with new sanctions
The Biden administration ordered new sanctions blocking Russian business oligarchs and others in President Vladimir Putin’s inner circle on Thursday in response to Russian forces’ fierce pummeling of Ukraine. Those targeted by the new sanctions include Putin’s press secretary, Dmitry Peskov, and Alisher Burhanovich Usmanov, one of Russia’s wealthiest individuals and a close ally of Putin. The U.S. State Department also announced it was imposing visa bans on 19 Russian oligarchs and dozens of their family members and close associates. “The goal was to maximize impact on Putin and Russia and minimize the harm on us and our allies and friends around the world,” Biden said as he noted the new sanctions at the start of a meeting with his Cabinet and Vice President Kamala Harris. The White House said the oligarchs and dozens of their family members will be cut off from the U.S. financial system. Their assets in the United States will be frozen, and their property will be blocked from use. The White House described Peskov, the Kremlin spokesman, as ”a top purveyor of Putin’s propaganda.” The property of Usmanov and the others will be blocked from use in the United States and by Americans. His assets include his superyacht, one of the world’s largest, and his private jet, one of Russia’s largest privately-owned aircraft. The Usmanov superyacht, known as Dilbar, is named after Usmanov’s mother and has an estimated worth of between $600 million and $735 million, according to Treasury. Dilbar has two helipads and one of the world’s largest indoor pools ever installed on a yacht and costs about $60 million per year to operate. The jet targeted is believed to have cost between $350 million and $500 million and was previously leased out for use by Uzbekistan’s president. Others targeted Thursday include Nikolai Tokarev, a Transneft oil executive; Arkady Rotenberg, co-owner of the largest construction company for gas pipelines and electrical power supply lines in Russia; Sergei Chemezov, a former KGB agent who has long been close to Putin; Igor Shuvalov, a former first deputy prime minister and chairman of State Development Corp.; and Yevgeniy Prigozhin, a Russian businessman with close ties to Putin. Prigozhin, who is known as “Putin’s chef,” was among those charged in 2018 by the U.S. government as being part of a wide-ranging effort to sway political opinion in America during the 2016 presidential election. According to the indictment then, Prigozhin and his companies provided significant funding to the Internet Research Agency, a St. Petersburg-based group accused of using bogus social media postings and advertisements fraudulently purchased in the name of Americans to influence the White House race. Deputy U.S. Treasury Secretary Wally Adeyemo said Thursday that the Biden administration would continue to target Russian elites as it builds sanctions against the country. He said elites are already “attempting to get their money out of Russia because the Russian economy is shrinking.” “We’re going to make it hard for them to use the assets going forward,” Adeyemo said at an event hosted by The Washington Post. He added, “Our goal then is to find that money and to freeze that money and to seize it.” The Biden administration has been unveiling new sanctions targeting Russian individuals and entities daily since the start of last week’s invasion, with officials saying they want to make certain Putin’s decision to attack Ukraine will come with enormous cost to Russia’s economy. A notable aspect of the latest sanctions is the extent to which the U.S. penalized the family members of oligarchs and those closest to Putin. Recently passed anti-money-laundering legislation passed by Congress has helped Treasury unveil and target such people. For example, the oil executive Tokarev’s family members — including his wife, Galina Tokareva, and daughter, Maiya Tokareva — have benefited from his proximity to Putin and the Russian government and were hit by the sanctions. Maiya Tokareva’s real estate empire has been valued at more than $50 million in Moscow, according to Treasury. Russian elites that have yet to be targeted by the U.S. or other Western countries have taken notice of the sanctions. Faced with the threat of financial sanctions targeting Russians, Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich announced Wednesday he is trying to sell the Premier League soccer club that became a trophy-winning machine thanks to his lavish investment. Abramovich made his fortune in oil and aluminum during the chaotic years that followed the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991. Biden had thus far been reluctant to hit the Russian energy sector with sanctions out of concern that it would hurt the U.S. and its allies as well as the Russians. White House press secretary Jen Psaki said, “We don’t have a strategic interest in reducing the global supply of energy.” Republished with the permission of the Associated Press.
