Washington Considering More Sanctions Against Russia, Reports Say

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) - US officials are considering strengthening the sanctions campaign against Russia amid the latter's ongoing special military operation in Ukraine, The Washington Post reports, citing two people familiar with the matter.

The additional sanctions could target economic sectors that have been exempt from restrictions, such as mining, transportation, and more areas of the financial sector.

"Secondary sanctions" that would target countries that continue to trade with Russia have also been discussed, The Washington Post said on Sunday, adding that EU officials have been calling for new sanctions to be imposed by Wednesday.

The Financial Times said on Sunday, citing a diplomat with knowledge of the plans, that EU ambassadors are expected to discuss a fresh round of anti-Russia sanctions on Wednesday.

A tank near the city of Novoazovsk in Donbass.

© Sputnik / Илья Питалев

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The new restrictions could target individuals, but could also include a ban on Russian ships using EU ports. Export and energy supply restrictions are also possible, the Financial Times said.

Italian Foreign Minister Luigi Di Maio said on Sunday that Western countries could introduce more sanctions against Russia over the Bucha incident. A similar view was expressed by President of the European Council Charles Michel on Twitter on Sunday.

The Kiev authorities and the media have been spreading video footage, allegedly from the Ukrainian town of Bucha near Kiev, with bodies lying along a road. The Russian Defence Ministry said that all of the photos and videos allegedly evidencing the Russian troops' crimes in Bucha are yet another provocation, since Russian units completely withdrew from the town as early as 30 March.

Russian Ambassador to the United States Anatoly Antonov said in an interview with Newsweek that the US is deliberately hushing up the fact that after the withdrawal of Russian troops, Ukrainian forces targeted the city of Bucha with artillery fire, which could have led to losses among the civilian population. According to Antonov, the authorities in Kiev are shifting the blame onto Russia regarding Bucha, where not a single civilian was injured while the town was under the control of Russian forces.

Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on Sunday that the crimes committed by Ukrainian radicals in Bucha are meant to escalate violence and disrupt the Russia-Ukraine peace negotiations.

Soldiers walk amid destroyed Russian tanks in Bucha, on the outskirts of Kyiv, Ukraine, Sunday, April 3, 2022.

© AP Photo / Rodrigo Abd

The West scaled up military assistance to Kiev, as well as anti-Russia sanctions, after Moscow launched a special military operation in Ukraine in the early hours of 24 February. The move came after the Donetsk and Lugansk People's Republics (DPR and LPR) appealed for help in defending themselves against Kiev's forces. Russia said that the aim of its special operation is to "demilitarise and de-Nazify" Ukraine and that only military infrastructure is being targeted.

According to Russian President Vladimir Putin, the goal is to protect the people of Donbass, "who have been subjected to abuse, genocide by the Kiev regime for eight years".

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