Since the attack on Ukraine, the West has imposed numerous sanctions on Russia. Now the G7 want to follow suit. Finally, Washington complains that the Russians are importing and plundering things like laptops and refrigerators for their "war machine."
The US and its allies are planning sweeping new sanctions against Russia on the first anniversary of the start of the war in Ukraine. "You're going to see a big new sanctions package from the US and all our G7 partners around the 24th," Secretary of State Victoria Nuland said in Washington.
Nuland announced that existing sanctions would be expanded in some areas, above all the flow of technology for the Russian defense industry would be restricted. The new sanctions would hit individuals, further restrict access to banks and crack down on ways to circumvent existing sanctions, particularly with regard to third countries.
"We see that the Russians are getting pretty smart," Nuland said. They would import things like laptops and refrigerators through third countries, sometimes from the US or G7 countries, and loot them. Chips and other things would then be "put into their war machine".
Nuland, known for her harsh criticism of Russian President Vladimir Putin, mocked Russia's military efforts in the battle for the eastern Ukrainian city of Bakhmut. The war was "stuck". "Russia has announced a new offensive. Well, if it is, it's very pathetic," she said.
The head of the Russian Wagner mercenary force, Yevgeny Prigozhin, said on Thursday that the capture of Bakhmut could take months. He blamed the "monstrous military bureaucracy" in Moscow for the slow progress.
