US enacts new sanctions against Russia concerned about possible economic support from China

On the first anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the U.S. government on Friday announced a new round of sanctions against Russia, including more than 60 individuals and entities involved in the war. Companies from third countries, including China, suspected of providing war support to Russia will also be sanctioned.

U.S. Secretary of State Blinken said in a statement Friday that the economic sanctions, export controls and tariffs announced by Washington this week show that the United States will continue to work with Allies and partners to increase pressure on Russian President Vladimir Putin to make it difficult for him to pursue this “brutal war,” thereby undermining Russia’s economic ability to support its aggression.

The sanctions target senior government officials, as well as governors and other officials, as well as six individuals and three entities that have helped steal Ukrainian food and govern on behalf of Russia in Russian-occupied areas of Ukraine.

A total of 47 Russian governors and 10 ministers of the Russian Federation, including the ministers of energy, culture, sports, science and higher education, were placed on the sanctions list.

The sanctions issued Friday also target four individuals and 22 entities in the Russian science and technology sector, in particular companies that make hardware and software for Russia’s intelligence-gathering services, Blinken’s statement said.

The US Commerce Department on Friday issued four regulations imposing additional export restrictions on entities from Russia, Belarus and Iran, as well as third countries, in response to Russia’s continued attacks on Ukraine. The rules include entities from third countries, including China, that help the Russian military or the Russian defense industrial base.

After Russia’s invasion of Ukraine last year, senior American officials warned their Chinese counterparts not to support Russia’s war effort, saying that doing so would have serious consequences.

President Biden and his top officials vowed this week to pursue further sanctions to stop Russia’s war in Ukraine. The focus in Washington is increasingly turning to China’s role in supplying Russia with both civilian and military supplies.

The Chinese government’s official position on the war with Ukraine was neutrality. But trade data show that China, along with Turkey and some former Soviet republics, already supply Russia with a wide range of products that can be used for civilian or military use, including raw materials, smartphones, vehicles and computer chips.