US to impose new sanctions on Russia following Navalny’s Death

The US is set to formally announce new sanctions against Russia on Friday, aiming to hold the country accountable for murder of opposition leader Alexei Navalny

The United States will formally announce new sanctions against Russia on Friday in a major step meant to make the nation accountable for the murder of opposition leader Alexei Navalny while he was incarcerated, according to a White House statement given on Tuesday. The statement underscores a persistent attitude of resistance to Moscow’s activities on many fronts and coincides with the second anniversary of Russia’s armed intervention into Ukraine.

President Joe Biden is the source of the command, according to National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby, who made the announcement at a press conference on Tuesday. “We will be announcing a major sanctions package on Friday of this week to hold Russia accountable for what happened to Mr Navalny,” Kirby said, reaffirming the administration’s resolve to confront what it sees as a serious injustice.

The upcoming penalties are expected to be harsher than the previous US sanctions on Russia, sending a clear message to Russia and reiterating that the US is prepared to use economic sanctions as a weapon for accountability and that it strongly condemns abuses of human rights. This move also reflects a larger U.S. policy to use economic and diplomatic pressure to counter activities that it believes violate international human rights standards and norms.

Source: AFP