On Monday, President Obama followed through on his warnings to Russia and its President, Vladimir Putin, by signing an Executive Order issuing sanctions against officials in both Ukraine and Russia in response to the ongoing Ukrainian crisis. After Crimea held a vote over the weekend on a referendum to allow the region to be annexed by Russia and separate from Ukraine, President Obama and the international community immediately stated that the vote was illegitimate and would not be recognized. Russia appears on the verge of officially annexing the territory away from Ukraine, therefore showing no respect for Ukraine’s sovereignty.
Below is video of President Obama announcing the sanctions:
In the official press release from the White House, the scope of the sanctions were made clear. Essentially, seven Russian officials and four political leaders in Ukraine are targeted for travel restrictions and asset freezes. They were all targeted due to their involvement with this ongoing situation, as they are seen as helping create and influence the tense political environment within Crimea. They are also seen as being integral to pushing the illegal Crimean referendum forward.
Below is an excerpt from the official release:
This new authority expands upon E.O. 13660, which the President signed less than two weeks ago, by authorizing the Secretary of the Treasury, in consultation with the Secretary of State, to impose sanctions on named officials of the Russian government, any individual or entity that operates in the Russian arms industry, and any designated individual or entity that acts on behalf of, or that provides material or other support to, any senior Russian government official. We have fashioned these sanctions to impose costs on named individuals who wield influence in the Russian government and those responsible for the deteriorating situation in Ukraine. We stand ready to use these authorities in a direct and targeted fashion as events warrant.
In response to the Russian government’s actions contributing to the crisis in Ukraine, this new E.O. lists seven Russian government officials who are being designated for sanctions. These individuals are Vladislav Surkov, Sergey Glazyev, Leonid Slutsky, Andrei Klishas, Valentina Matviyenko, Dmitry Rogozin, and Yelena Mizulina.
The United States also will seek to hold accountable individuals who use their resources or influence to support or act on behalf of senior Russian government officials. We recognize that the Russian leadership derives significant support from, and takes action through, individuals who do not themselves serve in any official capacity. Our current focus is to identify these individuals and target their personal assets, but not companies that they may manage on behalf of the Russian state.
In addition to the new E.O., the Treasury Department today has imposed sanctions on four other individuals under E.O. 13660, issued on March 6, for their actions or policies that threaten the peace, security, stability, sovereignty, or territorial integrity of Ukraine and in undermining the Government of Ukraine. They are Crimea-based separatist leaders Sergey Aksyonov and Vladimir Konstantinov; former Ukrainian presidential chief of staff Viktor Medvedchuk; and former President of Ukraine Viktor Yanukovych.
While on the surface, these sanctions may not seem like much, they are meant as a starting point in an effort to deter Putin from moving forward with full annexation of Crimea. If he makes Crimea part of Russia, Putin will show that he does not regard or respect another country’s sovereignty. If allowed to do so without any repercussions, he will feel emboldened to make further land grabs from other former Soviet republics. The best course of action, at this point, is to lessen Russia’s economic influence, hurt powerful individuals financially and isolate them from the rest of the international community.
President Obama is taking the right course of action at this time. He is working with members of the European Union to find the proper actions to take against Russia and Putin. He is also not committing any troops or looking at military intervention at this time. Instead, he is utilizing sensible measures to relay the message to Russia that its actions in Ukraine are inappropriate.
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