Washington warns Russia about debilitating sanctions in case of further invasion of Ukraine

Ahead of talks with Moscow, U.S. officials raised the possibility of incremental shifts in decisions about its future strategic posture in Europe, while saying Russia would be hit with debilitating sanctions should it intervene in Ukraine.

“U.S. officials raised the possibility of incremental shifts in decisions about America’s future strategic posture in Europe. But they also said Russia would be hit with debilitating sanctions should it intervene in Ukraine,” AP reports.

The American officials said the administration would be open to discussions with Russia on curtailing possible future deployments of offensive missiles in Ukraine and putting limits on U.S. and NATO military exercises in Eastern Europe.

As noted, the officials said the U.S. is willing to discuss certain, limited aspects of its European security posture in those talks. But they stressed that any agreements would be contingent on Russia removing threats to Ukraine and that no decisions would be made without the consent of Ukraine or NATO.

Moreover, there is no chance the U.S. will reduce its military presence or arsenal in Eastern Europe as Russia has demanded.

In the event of a Russian invasion of Ukraine, the United States in coordination with its allies and partners will “immediately impose severe and overwhelming costs” on Russia’s economy, including its financial system and sectors deemed critical to the Kremlin.

“In addition to sanctions on energy and consumer goods, the U.S. and its allies are considering bans on the export to Russia of advanced electronic components, software and related technology that uses American equipment,” reads the article.

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