The leaders of the Democratic and Republican parties in the US Senate issued a joint statement in which they promised to approve new sanctions against Russia in the event of an escalation in the situation with Ukraine. According to US President Joe Biden, as well as according to previously announced initiatives, restrictions may affect the export and financial sectors, Nord Stream 2, as well as representatives of the Russian authorities.
“We are ready to fully support the immediate imposition of serious, tough and effective sanctions against Russia, as well as the imposition of severe restrictive and control measures on exports to Russia, and we call on our allies and partners in Europe and around the world to join us,”— TASS cites an excerpt from the statement.
Joe Biden admitted that the United States could also suffer from these restrictions, since the restrictions will affect the energy market.
In February, the Senate was told that congressmen could not agree on restrictions on Nord Stream 2. According to Bloomberg, Republicans do not agree with the key provision of the document that restrictions can only be introduced in the event of a Russian military invasion of Ukraine. Democrats do not want to impose sanctions preemptively, since then the West will lose the tools to contain Russia, the agency noted.
For more details, see Kommersant’s “Crisis of Mistrust” article.