US not planning 'preemptive' sanctions on Russia amid Ukraine crisis, avers Pentagon

The United States is not considering “preemptive” sanctions against Russia over the crisis in Ukraine, said US Department of Defence or Pentagon spokesperson John Kirby. In an appearance on Fox News, Kirby said. “If it's a deterrent and you use it before the aggression is made or the transgression is made, then you lose your deterrent effect”. The Pentagon spokesperson’s remarks came as the US has been mulling imposing a “preemptive strike” of sanctions on Russia over the tensions near Ukraine irrespective of Moscow going ahead with Kyiv’s invasion. 

"If you punish someone for something they haven't done yet then they might as well just go ahead and do it. So we believe that there is a deterrent effect by keeping them in reserve, and we have been very clear with the international community and with Mr. Putin about the severity of the economic consequences that he could face," the spokesman added, in a Fox News interview.

When Kirby was pressed further to confirm if the United States would not impose sanctions in the absence of "Russian aggression", the Pentagon spokesperson said that “right now we are not considering a preemptive sanction regime." It is pertinent to note that Kirby’s remarks regarding US sanctions on Russia came after just last week, Senate Foreign Relations Committee member Jeanne Shaheen averred that such a package of sanctions was almost ready.

US says it is ‘unclear’ if Russia interested in diplomacy

Biden’s call with Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin was “professional and substantive” but it failed to produce any “fundamental change” in the dynamic which has been unfolding in the Russia-Ukraine tensions. In a background press call by a senior White House official on Biden-Putin call also said that the talks between both the leaders lasted only a bit more than an hour and the US side had “put ideas on the table that would be in our and our allies’ interest to pursue”. 

While the US has vowed to uphold Ukraine’s sovereignty and has even deployed troops in eastern Europe to back NATO forces, the senior administration official noted that it remains “unclear” if Russia is interested in pursuing its goals diplomatically or “through the use of force.” According to an official White House release, the US “remain committed to keeping the prospect of de-escalation through diplomacy alive. But we are also clear-eyed about the prospects of that, given the readily apparent steps Russia is taking on the ground in plain sight, right before our eyes.”

“The stakes of this are too high not to give Russia every chance to avoid an action that we believe would be catastrophic,” added the senior Biden administration’s official.

(Image: AP)