A senior White House official warned Friday that the sanctions that the United States and its partners will impose on Moscow if the Russian president decides Vladimir Putin Invading Ukraine would make Russia a pariah state.
The White House’s Deputy National Security Adviser for International Economics Dalip Singh told reporters that Russia “will become a pariah state for the international community. It will be isolated from international financial markets and deprived of the most advanced technological contributions.”
Energy resources are a means of pressure
Singh also stressed that the United States is “ready” in case Russia tries to use energy resources as leverage, stating: “We have taken measures to coordinate with the largest energy consumers and producers to ensure that we have uninterrupted energy supplies and stable energy markets.”
During the same press conference, the White House’s adviser on hacking operations, Anne Neuberger, said, “We see that the Russian state is responsible for the cyber attacks that targeted Ukrainian banks this week,” with tension reaching its climax with Moscow in the crisis over Ukraine.
It is noteworthy that Washington has previously confirmed that Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline, which links Russia with Germany by sea, will not start operating if Ukraine is invaded.
More crowds
These statements come as the Russian-Ukrainian crisis intensifies, while the military build-up on the border near Ukraine is growing.
And Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksiy Reznikov confirmed, earlier Friday, that the Russians have amassed about 149,000 soldiers near Ukraine, while several thousand more are expected to arrive in the near future.
Meanwhile, the Russian Defense Ministry announced the withdrawal of a new batch of its forces and mechanisms from the borders, which was met with comprehensive Western skepticism.
It is noteworthy that since last October, Moscow has faced Western criticism and accusations of mobilizing 150,000 troops in the vicinity of Ukraine, which raises fears of an attack on the western neighbor.
While Russia denies having any plan in this direction, and has announced since February 15, a series of withdrawals of its forces, while showing scenes of trains loaded with equipment, without convincing the Western countries.