Obama, Merkel Vow Additional Russian Sanctions if Destablization Continues
The Obama administration will not set "artificial deadlines" in dealing with the conflict in Ukraine, but will continue to monitor the situation and new sanctions remain possible, said White House spokesman Jay Carney during a May 5 press conference. "We’ve always made clear that the tools available to the president allow him and this administration to escalate the costs if activity by Russia aimed at destabilizing Ukraine escalates," said Carney. "And I wouldn’t -- nor am I saying that sanctions are coming on any particular day or will come on any particular day if Russia does this particular action."
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President Barack Obama and German Chancellor Angela Merkel vowed during a May 2 joint press conference at the White House to impose further sanctions on Russian officials and entities if Russia continues to destabilize Ukraine. Russia continues to support the separatist violence that is fueling ongoing turmoil in Eastern Ukraine, according to U.S. and European leaders. U.S. experts are still determining how best to apply sanctions, said Obama. “We’ve been consulting closely with our European and G7 partners, and we’re stepping up our planning,” said Obama. “The Russian leadership must know that if it continues to destabilize eastern Ukraine and disrupt this month’s presidential election, we will move quickly on additional steps, including further sanctions that will impose greater costs.” Ukrainian presidential elections are scheduled for May 25.
The U.S. and European Union have already imposed a series of sanctions on Russian and Ukrainian officials. The U.S. also sanctioned five banking and financial institutions (see 14042812). “It’s very much up to the Russians which road we will embark on, but we are firmly resolved to continue to travel down that road,” said Merkel. “In Europe, we have taken a decision that should further destabilization happen, we will move to a third stage of sanctions.”
More than 20 Senate Republicans on April 30 introduced legislation (here) that would levy sanctions on additional Russian banks and energy firms, according to a press release. The legislation would also "target any Russian entities owned by the Russian government or sanctioned individuals across the arms, defense, energy, financial services, metals, or mining sectors in Russia," said a press release that accompanied the bill's introduction (here).