The United States on Friday unveiled new sanctions on Russia, targeting over 200 individuals and entities, as well as more military and economic aid for Ukraine in a show of Washington's commitment with its allies to disrupt Moscow's ability to sustain its war machine.
As part of the wide-ranging package, coinciding with the one-year mark since Russia's invasion of Ukraine began, the Treasury Department said the scope of its punitive measures has expanded to include metal and mining companies, in addition to taking further steps against the country's financial, defense and technology industries.
The targets of the new sanctions, rolled out in coordination with other Group of Seven partners, include Russians as well as others based in more than 30 countries across Europe, Asia and the Middle East, according to the White House.
To undermine Russia's efforts to evade existing sanctions, the group of major democratic economies, including Britain, Germany and Japan, will establish an "Enforcement Coordination Mechanism," which will be headed by the United States in the first year, the White House said.
While the United States started disbursing $9.9 billion in grant financing this week to back Ukraine in providing essential services such as health care and education for its people, the White House also said it will extend additional energy assistance to the war-torn country.
The package involves multiple U.S. agencies, with the State Department starting to impose visa restrictions on 1,219 members of the Russian military.
The Defense Department, meanwhile, said it will provide Ukraine with more weapons and drones as part of a new security aid package worth $2 billion.
"Today's solemn anniversary is an opportunity for all who believe in freedom, rules and sovereignty to recommit ourselves to supporting Ukraine's brave defenders for the long haul, and to recall that the stakes of Russia's war stretch far beyond Ukraine," Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said in a statement.
Over the past year, the United States has committed over $32 billion in security assistance to Ukraine, according to the Pentagon.
With seemingly no end in sight to the conflict, the latest military aid will be provided by a fund called the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative, which enables Washington to procure weapons from industry rather than from existing Pentagon stocks.
The aid also includes electronic warfare detection equipment and funding for training, according to the Pentagon. It comes as U.S. officials have warned that Russia could be planning a new offensive around the one-year mark, and that China could be preparing to provide lethal military aid to Moscow.
Austin said that "difficult times may lie ahead," but the United States and its allies should remain steadfast in their "commitment to ensuring that a world of rules and rights is not replaced by one of tyranny and turmoil."
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