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The U.S. will join the European Union (EU) in personally sanctioning Russian President Vladimir Putin over the invasion of Ukraine, White House press secretary Jen Psaki confirmed on Friday.
“In alignment with the decision by our European allies, the United States will join them in sanctioning President Putin and Foreign Minister Lavrov,” Psaki said.
The announcement came a day after President Biden stopped short of targeting Putin in the sanctions he announced on Thursday.
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Press secretary Jen Psaki speaks at the White House briefing on Jan. 25, 2022.
(AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)
Psaki was pressed by reporters on if the president made the decision to personally sanction Putin after a press conference where he dodged multiple questions on the subject.
She responded that the personal sanctions on Putin have “been on the table for some time” but confirmed the final decision to do so was made “over the last 24 hours.”
President Biden previously stopped short of sanctioning Putin personally.
(Reuters)
The sanctions also include a travel ban on Russia, but it is unclear if the ban would extend to Putin himself.
Psaki’s announcement comes as Russian forces bombard the Ukrainian capital city of Kyiv in an attempted decapitating strike. Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle have condemned the attack on the sovereign nation.
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“What we’re seeing is that Russia, under Putin’s leadership, has invaded a validly elected democracy, an independent nation, violating international law,” Rep. Mike Turner, R-Ohio, told Fox News on Friday. “It’s a threat to Europe and a threat to our NATO allies and therefore to the United States.”
Russia invaded Ukraine on Thursday after amassing troops on the nation’s border for months and reached the capital after one day of fighting.
Fox News Digital’s Jon Michael Raasch contributed reporting.
