President Joe Biden has said that the United States will impose significant sanctions on Russia on Friday in response to the death of opposition leader Alexei Navalny and the ongoing Ukraine crisis.
According to White House national security advisor Jake Sullivan, the fresh sanctions on Russia would target a variety of assets, including the country's defense and industrial sectors, as well as sources of revenue for the economy.
According to White House national security spokesperson John Kirby, the package will "hold Russia accountable for what happened to Navalny" as well as its conduct during the Ukrainian war.
A senior US official said a sanctions package was originally planned for the war's second anniversary, but Washington will evaluate and enhance it in light of Navalny's death.
According to two sources familiar with the situation, Brian Nelson, the Treasury's Under Secretary for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence, is in Europe this week and is considering penalties in light of Navalny's death.
The Treasury said Nelson is also addressing Washington's right to pursue people who support Russia's weapons manufacturing operations, even if they are in foreign nations. It also stated that the US is "aggressively pursuing those who attempt to evade our sanctions."
Following Russia's invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022, the United States implemented a wide range of sanctions against Russia, including President Vladimir Putin, politicians, and banks.
The penalties also targeted persons associated with Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB) and other authorities, as well as Navalny's 2020 poisoning and incarceration.
Navalny, Putin's most outspoken domestic opponent, collapsed and died unexpectedly on Friday while walking at the "Polar Wolf" correctional colony above the Arctic Circle, where he was serving a three-decade term, according to the prison service.