Staff Reports
The United States stuck it to those sneaky Russians by slapping sanctions on over 500 of their sketchy business entities on Friday. This move comes just in time for the two-year anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Wow, talk about bad timing for the Russians!
Deputy Treasury Secretary Wally Adeyemo chatted with reporters about this sassy sanction party, and he made it clear that the US isn’t playing around. By teaming up with our pals in the United Kingdom and European Union, we’re giving Russia the financial cold shoulder and making it harder for them to build weapons and profit from their precious fossil fuels.
More US 'Harshest ever' sanctions that aren't so harsh – and that's another Problem of the Biden Foreign Policy. Too Weak. Too Late. Freeze their Bank Accounts Stupid. Send all Russians in the West back to Russia. https://t.co/jIztfEzQvI via @dcexaminer
— Mike Wangler (@mike_wangler) February 23, 2024
As if that weren’t enough, the Commerce Department added another 100 Russian entities to its export control list. This is all in response to Russia’s shenanigans in Ukraine and their human rights abuses. You don’t mess with Uncle Sam and get away with it!
But wait, there’s more! Adeyemo also called out those slackers in the House to get off their butts and pass a $95 billion defense supplemental for Ukraine. The Senate already gave it the thumbs up, so what’s the holdup, huh? Let’s show some support for our pals in Ukraine and stick it to Putin while we’re at it.
Treasury officials made it crystal clear that these sanctions are really making Russia feel the squeeze. Their oil revenue has taken a 40% nosedive since the start of the war in Ukraine, and the cost of their military toys has shot up by a whopping 70%. Looks like someone’s feeling the pinch!
And get this, for the first time ever, Russia is spending more moolah on their military than on their own people. Classic move, Russia. Adeyemo also spilled the tea on how the US and its buddies are capping the price of Russian oil, making it harder for them to rake in the dough while still selling their precious fossil fuels to the world. It’s like they’re saying, “You can’t sit with us, Russia!”
Now, some smarty-pants analysts have suggested dropping the cap on the price of Russian oil even lower, but our officials are playing hard to get. They’re not ready to bust out that move just yet. Instead, they’re hitting Russia with tough choices, forcing them to either play by our rules or go off and create their own little oil empire. Good luck with that, Russia!
