President Biden says the U.S. is levying 500 new sanctions against Russia’s military capabilities and the persons responsible for imprisoning Alexei Navalny, a fierce critic of Russian President Vladimir Putin who died earlier this month.
Mr. Biden said the sanctions are payback for Mr. Navalny’s death in an Arctic prison and designed to coincide with the second anniversary of Mr. Putin’s decision to invade Ukraine.
“These sanctions will target individuals connected to Navalny’s imprisonment as well as Russia’s financial sector, defense industrial base, procurement networks and sanctions evaders across multiple continents,” Mr. Biden said. “They will ensure Putin pays an even steeper price for his aggression abroad and repression at home.”
The U.S. and Western nations have imposed crippling sanctions on Russia over its war on Ukraine, only to see Moscow find end-runs around the restrictions or new global partners to keep its economy afloat.
In his statement, Mr. Biden insisted Mr. Putin “miscalculated badly” when he launched the war nearly two years ago with hopes of a quick victory.
“He believed that he could easily bend the will and break the resolve of a free people. That he could roll into a sovereign nation, and the world would roll over. That he could shake the foundations of security in Europe and beyond,” Mr. Biden said.
Instead, Mr. Biden added, Mr. Putin confronted a determined Ukraine, and NATO is “stronger, larger, and more united than ever.”
Yet there are increasing signs Kyiv will be unable to resist Mr. Putin’s invaders in perpetuity.
Mr. Biden said Ukraine is “running out of ammunition” and will be unable to hold the line against Russian forces who are aided by North Korea and Iran.
The president scolded the Republican-led House for failing to take up a Senate-passed supplemental bill that includes $60 billion in aid for Ukraine.
The U.S. has provided more than $75 billion already. Some lawmakers say there is no clear plan for a Ukrainian victory so it doesn’t make sense to throw more American treasure at the effort or to help more Ukrainian soldiers to die in what is a never-ending stalemate.
Mr. Biden defended the package, saying it would bolster the U.S. industrial base and send a critical message to Mr. Putin if he tries to mess with nations beyond Ukraine.
“History is watching,” he said. “The failure to support Ukraine at this critical moment will not be forgotten. Now is the time for us to stand strong with Ukraine and stand united with our Allies and partners.”
If Mr. Putin “does not pay the price for his death and destruction, he will keep going,” Mr. Biden said. “And the costs to the United States — along with our NATO Allies and partners in Europe and around the world — will rise.”
