White House: EU to Impose New Sanctions on Russia - East Idaho News
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White House: EU to Impose New Sanctions on Russia

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Getty 072814 Putin?  SQUARESPACE CACHEVERSION=1406580218760Sean Gallup/Getty Images(WASHINGTON) — The White House on Monday said it expects the European Union to impose new sanctions against critical sectors of the Russian economy this week.

“We expect the European Union to take significant additional steps this week,” Deputy National Security Adviser Tony Blinken told reporters at the daily White House briefing, “including in key sectors of the Russian economy.”

Blinken said actions could be taken in the financial, arms or energy sectors. European leaders are also looking to “broaden the criteria by which they can sanction people or entities, and I think one of the things they’re looking at is to bring in some of the cronies of President Putin,” Blinken added.

The U.S. is preparing to take additional steps as well.  “In turn and in full coordination with Europe, the United States will implement additional measures itself,” Blinken said, reiterating “our purpose here again is not to punish Russia but to make clear that it must cease its support for the separatists and stop destabilizing Ukraine.”

The White House insists that the sanctions already imposed by the US and Europeans are having a “dramatic impact on the Russian economy.”

President Obama discussed these next steps for dealing with the crisis in Ukraine on a teleconference earlier Monday with German Chancellor Angela Merkel, French President Francois Hollande, British Prime Minister David Cameron and Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi.


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