White House building in Washington, USAWASHINGTON, Jan 31The United States has prepared sanctions against Russian elites and their families in the event of an invasion of Ukraine, White House press secretary Jen Psaki confirmed. She did not name names, but local media previously reported that they were officials and big businessmen. «I can confirm that we have developed specific sanctions packages against Russian elites and their families in case Russia invades Ukraine again… The individuals we have identified are in or close to the Kremlin’s inner circle and play a role in government decision-making, or at least involved in the Kremlin's destabilizing behavior,» Psaki said at a briefing for journalists. Psaki added that the work was carried out in coordination with US allies and partners. On Sunday, British Foreign Minister Liz Truss did not rule out that the property of «Russian oligarchs» in London could be confiscated as part of the tightening of the sanctions regime against Russia in the event of an escalation of the situation around Ukraine.
The consequences of tough US sanctions against Russia are revealed. Lists of names are present in various bills that the US Congress is working on. US President Joe Biden himself did not rule out earlier that his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin could be under sanctions. Kiev and Western states have recently expressed concern about the alleged increase in «aggressive actions» by Russia near the borders of Ukraine. Moscow has repeatedly denied such accusations, saying that it does not threaten anyone and does not intend to attack anyone, and claims of «Russian aggression» are used as an excuse to place more NATO military equipment near Russian borders. The Russian Foreign Ministry noted earlier that Western statements about «Russian aggression» and the possibility of helping Kiev defend itself against it are both ridiculous and dangerous. Press Secretary of the President of the Russian Federation Dmitry Peskov said that Russia is moving troops within its territory and at its own discretion. According to him, this does not threaten anyone and should not worry anyone. At the end of 2021, Russia published draft agreements with the United States and agreements with NATO on security guarantees. Moscow, in particular, demands from its Western partners legal guarantees of refusing further eastward expansion of NATO, joining the Ukrainian bloc, and establishing military bases in post-Soviet countries. The proposals also contain a clause on the non-deployment of NATO strike weapons near the borders of Russia and the withdrawal of alliance forces in Eastern Europe to the positions of 1997. Last Wednesday, the US and NATO submitted to Moscow written responses to Russia's proposals for security guarantees. The Russian Foreign Minister stated that Moscow is studying the responses of the United States and NATO, after interdepartmental coordination it will be reported to Russian President Vladimir Putin, he will decide on further steps. />The West is open to discussing its concerns with Russia, Biden said
