The White House announced on Friday that the United States will follow the European Union and Britain by imposing sanctions on Russian President Vladimir Putin and Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, including barring them from entering U.S. territory. U.S. presidential spokesperson Jen Psaki told reporters that the travel ban to the United States will be "part of" the sanctions that the U.S. has decided to impose on Putin and Lavrov for their roles in the invasion of Ukraine. She added, "It is a standard element" in sanctions targeting foreign figures, reiterating that the details of these historic sanctions on the Russian president will be revealed later.
Psaki also warned that if Russian forces, which have been invading Ukraine since early Thursday, attempt to target Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, it would be considered a "horrific act." With this, Putin joins a short list of leaders who have been directly sanctioned by the United States, including Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, and Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. The U.S. Treasury described the decision as "extremely rare," before detailing the framework for these sanctions.
Additionally, the sanctions will also apply to Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu and his right-hand man Valery Gerasimov. The Treasury clarified that the assets of the sanctioned individuals in the United States will be frozen, and any person or entity in the U.S. will be prohibited from dealing with them.
Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova quickly responded to Washington's decision, telling Russian television that "the sanctions against the president and foreign minister of the country are an example and proof of the absolute impotence of your foreign policy." Later, Psaki announced on Twitter that the United States will also impose sanctions on the "Russian Direct Investment Fund," a government entity tasked with attracting investments to the Russian economy.
