The US has imposed a new wave of sanctions on Russia, targeting dozens of defence companies and hundreds of members of Russia’s parliament as Washington ramps up pressure on Moscow.
The measures target individuals and entities that “fuel [Russian President Vladimir] Putin’s war machine,” the White House said in a statement, including Herman Gref, the chief executive of Russia’s largest financial institution, Sberbank.
The Treasury Department also issued guidance on its website warning that gold-related transactions involving Russia may be sanctionable by US authorities in a move aimed at stopping Russia from evading sanctions.
Meanwhile NATO leaders have agreed to bolster defences along the alliance’s eastern flank at an emergency summit in Brussels.
The United Nations says more than 1,000 civilians have been killed in Ukraine and that more than half of the country’s 7.5 million children have been displaced.
