A worker sets up flags outside the White House in Washington DCWASHINGTON Feb 27The United States and its Western allies are ready for new restrictive moves against the Russian financial system for its policy towards Ukraine, but did not seek such a «sad result», a senior official of the US administration told reporters on Saturday. «I would like to be clear: this is a sad result for residents of Ukraine, residents of Russia and many others. This is not what we were striving for. However, only President (of the Russian Federation Vladimir — ed.) Putin can decide what other price Russia will be willing to bear,» a White House official said during a special briefing. He confirmed that the United States and its Western allies are ready for new restrictive steps against Russia if it does not change its course towards Ukraine. «Together with our allies and partners, we are united,» the American official emphasized. On February 21, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed decrees recognizing the sovereignty of the Donetsk and Luhansk People's Republics, and on February 24, Russia launched a special military operation to demilitarize Ukraine. In response, Western countries began a new round of the sanctions spiral, which has been unwinding since 2014. Several of the largest banks in the Russian Federation, including Sberbank and VTB, fell under the new restrictions. A number of state-owned companies found it difficult to attract foreign capital. Sanctions have been imposed on the supply of high-tech products to Russia. Germany has stopped certification of the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline. Britain closed flights for Aeroflot. Russian authorities said they had prepared a plan of action in advance in case of a new wave of sanctions and would provide any necessary support to businesses that fell under the restrictions, ensuring the smooth operation of the economy. The Russian authorities are also working on retaliatory measures, but the details are not yet known. Maxim Gorbachev
