The United States Department of State announced new sanctions against Kremlin officials after the annexation of four Ukrainian territories signed this Friday by Russian President Vladimir Putin.
The Secretary of State , Antony Blinken, reported through a statement that members of the Russian and Belarusian Army, among other officials, will be subject to visa restrictions, while others will receive economic sanctions from the Treasury Department.
The State Department had warned on Tuesday of this week that it would impose new sanctions on Russia if it finally annexed the Ukrainian territories of Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhia, controlled by Russian forces during the Russian invasion in February this year.
Blinken said via Twitter that “the entire process around these false referendums was a complete farce”.
“The United States does not recognize and will never recognize to none of the Kremlin’s claims of sovereignty over parts of Ukraine that it took by force and now intends to incorporate into Russia”, he emphasized.
Earlier, shortly after Putin’s signature, the American diplomat had stressed that they would continue “imposing costs on anyone who provides political or economic support for this farce.”
According to the statement issued by the Department of State, the sanctions will prevent the entry of 910 individuals linked to Russia to the United States.
Also, at least 278 officials Russians were sanctioned by the US Treasury Department, these actions would be limiting their ability to access funds or move money abroad.
In addition, the Department of the Treasury sanctioned 14 persons for their participation in the trade and transportation of military and industrial equipment to Russia.
The Department of Commerce added to the list 57 Russian entities.
This Friday, President Vladimir Putin signed the annexation with the pro-Russian leaders of the regions occupied by the Russian military forces, after the holding of referendums that have been described as fraudulent, not only by the US .but for the rest of the international community.
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