Biden tried to show his determination to confront Russia, but his determination stopped at ......
Last Friday, the United States ** Biden announced the implementation of new sanctions against Russia, foreign media pointed out that Biden tried to show his determination to confront Russia, but his determination only stopped there.
The 200-page list is the largest economic sanctions program in two years. However, it is also worth noting thatThere are also some key points that have been avoided in this extensive list: Metals sector, more energy-related penalties, and secondary sanctions against banks.
Foreign media said that this caution reflects the reluctance of Biden's team to implement what experts believe will really weaken the Russian economy, despite Biden's talk of sanctionsBecauseHe fears a backlash against the U.S. economy.
Potential sanctions by more aggressive meansGoalsThis may include banks of other countries that assist Russia in acquiring technology and materials, as well as activities to enrich metals such as uranium, aluminum, and nickel; The United States may also consider seizing and distributing frozen Russian sovereign assets. All of these measures come with significant risks.
Kim Donovan, former Treasury Department and director of the Atlantic Council's Program on Economic Governance, said: "To truly impact Russia, we must take more strategic actions that could adversely affect the broader global economy. We will have to start making more difficult decisions and accept the implications of those decisions.
Friday's list was filled with the names of people and entities that have already been sanctioned or have limited ties to the U.S. financial system, reducing their physical impact on the new sanctions. The list includes the warden of the prison where Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny died this month, as well as the deputy head of the Federal Bureau of Corrections. Also being targeted was a Russian shipbuilding company that helped build 15 LNG carriers.
At the same time, the operation that Ukraine really expects has not yet materialized, namely the approval of 60 billion dollars in new ** and ammunition funding. The request for this amount is currently stalled in the US House of Representatives.
The Ukrainians seem to agree with this. This was stated by Zelensky's adviser Mykhailo PodolyakThe only thing the West can do to really scare Putin is to offer more.
In a post on social platforms, Podolyak said: "The real ** for Ukraine is long-range, anti-missile, anti-sea **. The rest is fiction, a delayed consciousness, a record of the process, an extension of the war, a dangerous fantasy that thinks you can stand by and watch. ”
For Ukraine**, the sanctions were imposed at a precarious moment. The ** launched by Ukraine last year failed to effectively change the front. The recent capture of Avdiivka by Russian forces was a painful symbolic defeat for Ukraine. At the same time, Washington continues to hesitate over additional aid, and the supplementary spending package adopted by the Senate is deadlocked in the House of Representatives.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer will visit Kyiv this weekend to assure Ukrainians that some steps will be taken, but Congress will be busy dealing with the shutdown over the next few weeks. In 2024, the United States *** did not play any helping role, and Biden believes that aid to Ukraine is necessary to prevent the spread of ** rule,Former Trump opposes the aid because it doesn't fit his "America First" agenda.
As for the Russian economy,Despite the sanctions, it continues to develop at a rapid pace.
"The latest announcement only marks a gradual tightening of the sanctions regime, and we still estimate that the Russian economy will grow by 1% to 1 percent in 2024," Russian economist Alexander Isakov wrote in a noteAbout 5%. ”
To further complicate matters, Russia's partners continue to buy its oil. Foreign media said that although the GDP of these countries still accounts for less than half of the global GDP, their share is growing.
Eddie Fishman, a senior research fellow at Columbia University's Center for Global Energy Policy, said the West does not seem ready to use the levers that will really have a significant impact on Russia's economy, which is to aggressively target its energy revenues, oil revenues, and impose secondary sanctions on banks that help Russia enter the international financial system.
U.S. Deputy Treasury Secretary Wally Adeyemo said in an interview Friday that the United States is exploring options for using $300 billion in Russian state assets to help pay for Ukraine's reconstruction. Adeyemo said: ".We are looking for ways to unlock the economic value of these reserves for the people of Ukraine.