US imposes blocking sanctions on Sberbank and Alfa-Bank

The US authorities have decided to impose full blocking sanctions against Sberbank and Alfa-Bank. This is reported by TASS with reference to an American official.

According to him, the American side is stepping up the financial blow to Russia. At the same time, the new sanctions against banks will not affect the payment for Russian energy resources.

“As you all know, we sought to cause financial disruption by cutting off Russia’s largest banks and its Central Bank from doing any business with the US and by freezing all of its assets that are related to the US financial system or our allies,” the official said.

He noted that the developed sanctions will be flexible so that the US authorities can strengthen or weaken them depending on the circumstances. At the same time, a representative of the US administration allowed the sanctions rate to slow down.

“We are denying capital, technology, talent that could flow into Russia, and the combination of steps we are taking creates this downward spiral that accelerates as Putin escalates. And if he ever reverses course, this negative feedback loop communications will slow down and may be able to turn around,” he stressed.

The US is also introducing a ban on new investments in the Russian economy. The American official said that in the near future the corresponding decree will be signed by Joe Biden.

The United States sanctions list will include the children of Vladimir Putin, the wife and daughter of Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, and members of the Russian Security Council.

The situation became more complicated after Vladimir Putin announced on the night of February 24 that he had decided to conduct a special operation in the Donbass. At the same time, he stressed that the plans of the Russian authorities do not include the occupation of the territories of Ukraine. The heads of the DPR and LPR Denis Pushilin and Leonid Pasechnik asked the President of the Russian Federation for help in repelling aggression from the Armed Forces of Ukraine.