[Washington, 20th Archyde.com]-High-ranking officials of the US Biden administration have shown a negative position on the 20th to impose sanctions on Russia before invading Ukraine.
“The primary purpose of sanctions is to prevent Russia from starting a war. It will cease to be effective once the sanctions are invoked,” Secretary of State Blinken said on a CNN show.
Ukrainian President Oleksandr Zelensky has urged the US and Europe to introduce sanctions immediately if they are convinced of Russia’s invasion. At the Munich Security Council on the 19th, he insisted that sanctions were not necessary after Ukraine’s economy was no longer viable or partly occupied.
US Vice President Harris, who attended the meeting, told reporters that sanctions on Russia would be one of the largest in history, but that there are other ways to stop Russia’s attacks.
“We have agreed that the deterrent effect of sanctions is still meaningful,” he said, hoping that there would be diplomatic means to overcome the situation.
US Senator Ted Cruz questioned on the Fox News program on the 20th that the Biden administration had done everything it could to discourage Russian President Vladimir Putin. “Europe is on the verge of war because of Mr. Biden’s weakness and irresponsibility,” he criticized.
Pentagon spokesman Kirby said in the same show that sanctions could trigger Russia’s military action. “If you punish yourself for something you haven’t done yet, you may actually act,” he said.