US Sanctions Russia on 1st Anniversary of Ukraine War

The new sanctions on Russia were announced as US President Joe Biden (right) and G7 leaders met virtually with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky (left) (Picture: Getty Images)

The US announced new sanctions on Russia on the one-year anniversary of the start of the Kremlin’s war on Ukraine.

President Joe Biden’s administration revealed the sanctions on Friday as the Group of 7 nations leaders met virtually and pledged ‘unwavering support’ for Ukraine and its President Volodomyr Zelensky.

‘One year ago, the G7 met following (Russian President Vladimir) Putin’s assault against Ukraine. Now, not only does Ukraine stand, but the global coalition in support of Ukraine is stronger than ever, with the G7 as its anchor,’ tweeted Biden. ‘We spoke again to renew our commitment to impose unprecedented costs on Putin.’

The new sanctions are aimed at 200 individuals or entities across sectors including finance, defense and technology. The US is placing visa sanctions on Russian military figures and freezing the assets of Putin’s allies.

President Joe Biden said the US and allies ‘spoke again to renew our commitment to impose unprecedented costs on Putin’. (Picture: EPA)

In addition, the US is largely banning aluminum imports coming from Russia and putting the country’s second biggest cellular phone company on a blacklist for trade.

‘We are continuing to impose significant costs on Russia for its illegal war against Ukraine, including through additional sanctions measures,’ stated US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen in a meeting with UK finance minister Jeremy Hunt. 

The Biden administration also warned China and other nations to not assist Russia in evading sanctions.

‘We will sanction additional actors tied to Russia’s defense and technology industry, including those responsible for backfilling Russian stocks of sanctioned items or enabling Russian sanctions evasion,’ stated the White House.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy attended a working session of G7 leaders via video link on the day of the first anniversary of Russia’s attack on Ukraine (Picture: Reuters)

The sanctions are designed to show that the US and its allies will support Ukraine for as long as is needed.

Speaking from Warsaw, Poland, on Wednesday after a surprise visit to Kyiv on Monday, Biden said Putin ‘no longer doubts the strength’ of NATO.

‘But he still doubts our conviction. He doubts our staying power. He doubts our continued support for Ukraine,’ Biden said.

Putin was ‘wrong’ in his calculation, Biden said.

Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk.

For more stories like this, check our news page.