The United States has imposed travel bans on Ukraine’s President Viktor Yanukovych, as well as on Crimea’s Prime Minister Sergei Aksyonov and Chairman of Crimean Supreme Council Vladimir Konstantinov. Washington has also threatened to extend sanctions imposed earlier on 21 Russian citizens, if the situation in Ukraine is not settled.
The United States has imposed travel bans on Ukraine’s President Viktor Yanukovych, as well as on Crimea’s Prime Minister Sergei Aksyonov and Chairman of Crimean Supreme Council Vladimir Konstantinov. Washington has also threatened to extend sanctions imposed earlier on 21 Russian citizens, if the situation in Ukraine is not settled.
US President Barack Obama has ordered to freeze the US assets of seven Russian officials, including top advisers to President Vladimir Putin, for their support of Crimea's vote to split from Ukraine. Obama said he was moving to "increase the cost" to Russia, and he warned that more people could face financial punishment.
The US Treasury Department also is imposing sanctions on four Ukrainians - including former President Viktor Yanukovych and others who have supported Crimea's separation - under existing authority under a previous Obama order.
Senior administration officials also said they are working to implicate individuals in the Russian arms industry to target their assets.
The US announcement came shortly after the European Union announced travel bans and asset freezes on 21 people they have implicated over the Crimean independence referendum.
Obama administration officials have confessed there is some overlap between the US and European list, which wasn't immediately made public. Biden was heading to Europe Monday and Obama plans to go next week.
The sanctions were expected after residents in Crimea voted overwhelmingly Sunday in favor of the split. Crimea's parliament on Monday declared the region an independent state.
Obama's order targets were: Vladislav Surkov, a Putin aide, Sergei Glazyev, a Putin adviser, Leonid Slutsky, a state Duma deputy, Andrei Klishas, member of the Council of Federation of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation, Valentina Matviyenko, head of the Federation Council, Dmitry Rogozin, Deputy Prime Minister of the Russian Federation, Yelena Mizulina, a state Duma deputy.
The four newly targeted by the Treasury Department are: Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych, Viktor Medvedchuk, the leader of Crimea’s group Ukrainian Choice, Sergei Aksyonov, Prime Minister of Crimea's regional government, and Vladimir Konstantinov, Speaker of the Crimean Parliament.
US freezes assets of Matvienko, Surkov, Glazyev, Rogozin over Crimea
The US President Barack Obama has issued a decree that froze foreign assets of Russia's top officials over the support that the country has given to Crimea's bid to split from Ukraine.
The asset freeze concerns such prominent Russian politicians as Upper House Speaker Valentina Matvienko, influential businessman, politician and Putin's ally Vladislav Surkov, Kremlin aide Sergei Glazyev, and Deputy PM Dmitry Rogozin.
Other Russian high-flyers on Obama’s list are MPs Mizulina, Slutsky and Klishas. This is according to the White House statement.
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