The United States government has ruled out the possibility of granting Russia a reprieve from the restrictions imposed on the federation at war with Ukraine.
Department of State's spokesperson Tammy Bruce said the U.S. will not enter into bilateral agreements with Russia or ease sanctions until a ceasefire in Ukraine is agreed.
“There would be no negotiations, no decisions, no arrangements until after the carnage has stopped,”; Bruce stated at a media briefing on Tuesday.
The official replied to a question on whether the White House had instructed the Department of State, led by Marco Rubio, to compile a list of penalties that may be relaxed.
Bruce called the situation “dynamic,” saying “there have to be more questions about the nature of who's really committed to peace and a ceasefire,” in reference to the Palm Sunday incident in Sumy.
Russian ballistic missiles hit the northeastern city, the center of Sumy Oblast, and injuring over 110, the deadliest attack involving civilians in months.
The State Department and the Treasury Department's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) announced a series of sanctions against Russia in recent years, with an uptick since the invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
Within 24 hours of the start of Europe's largest war since World War, America and allies penalized President Vladimir Putin and Russian officials, after sweeping actions against private and public entities.
“President Putin and Minister Lavrov are directly responsible for Russia’s unprovoked and unlawful further invasion of Ukraine, a democratic sovereign state,” OFAC declared in a statement.
“It is exceedingly rare for Treasury to designate a head of state; President Putin joins a very small group that includes despots such as Kim Jong Un, Alyaksandr Lukashenka, and Bashar al-Assad.”
The U.S. also designated Russia’s military-industrial complex, infrastructure, financial institutions, international suppliers, officials' family members, and 278 lawmakers for “enabling the sham referenda and attempt to annex” Ukraine.
The most recent sanctions announced in October 2024 targeted companies and individuals involved in the development and production of Russia’s Garpiya series long-range attack unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV).
The U.S. said the Garpiya UAV, which “destroyed critical infrastructure and caused mass casualties in Ukraine,” was developed by Chinese experts in China-based factories in collaboration with Russian defense firms.
