“I wouldn’t rule out multilateral efforts outside of the UN to impose costs on Syria or Russia or others with regard to the situation inside of Syria,” Earnest stated, when asked if Washington would be willing to pursue sanctions with Europe and other allies outside the framework of the UN.
Earnest continued, “We’ve done that in the past, and I wouldn’t take it off the table in terms of the options the president may consider in the situation.”
The White House spokesman noted that there have been other cases when the United States acted outside the UN.
“The situation in Ukraine is obviously the best example where the United States has been able to work with our European allies to impose tough sanctions against Russia,” he explained.
The spokesperson added that the current anti-Russia sanctions over the Ukrainian conflict have not achieved the desired effect despite having some impact on the country.
On Monday, the US State Department announced it was suspending bilateral channels with Russia that were established to sustain a cessation of hostilities agreement in Syria. Russia responded with suspending a number of agreements with the United States including those on cooperation in scientific research and development in nuclear and energy sectors and the plutonium disposal agreement.
