Biden warns that ’there is no immediate sanction’ as US and allies target Russia in response to the invasion of Ukraine

The US and its European allies have announced a series of sanctions against Moscow.
Biden announced several waves of sanctions against Russia this week, which included on Thursday when sanctions were announced that would target VTB and four other major Russian banks as well as limiting exports.

The sanctions also target Russia’s elites: Sergei Ivanov, his son Sergei and Andrey Patrushev, his son Nikolai and Igor Sechin, Andrey Pauchkov, Yuriy Soviev, and the two real estate firms he owns, Galina Ulyutina, and Alexander Vedyakhin, according to the U.S.

Others have placed sanctions against Russia as well, targeting banks, businesses, and oligarchs. However, Biden on Thursday dismissed the immediate effectiveness sanctions and stated that “no one expected the sanctions to stop anything from happening”, despite prior messaging from his White Houe stating the sanctions were meant to deter or prevent.

Biden stated in a new interview that people shouldn’t expect immediate results from the sanctions.
He said, “And there’s not a sanction that is immediate.” It’s not like you can sanction someone and say ‘you’re no longer going to be able to be the president of Russia.'”

He said, “But, I think, these sanctions are broadest sanctions in the history and economic sanctions as well as political sanctions.”

He stated that his goal was to keep NATO, Europeans and allies on the same page.

“Because Putin believed he could split NATO, creating an opening for him to move through. It hasn’t. If you notice. He said, “It’s been total unanimity.”

The White House was criticized earlier this week after Daleep Singh, Deputy National Security Advisor, stated that sanctions against Russia were “not intended to disrupt” Russia’s energy exports.

Singh stated that the sanctions were not intended to disrupt the flow of energy from Russia to the rest of the world.

Singh later reiterated his comment, stating that “our measures weren’t designed to disrupt in anyway the current flow of oil from Russia to the rest of the world.”

Singh stated that sanctions were meant to reduce Russia’s “long-term” energy capacity, but not its “short-term” one.