Two sources familiar with the matter said on Wednesday that the United States is preparing a sanctions package targeting Russian oligarchs as well as their companies and assets, as Washington steps up pressure on Russian President Vladimir Putin over Moscow's invasion of Ukraine.
One of the sources told Reuters that details are still being worked out, and that there are some sanctions that could be announced as early as this week. The source said Washington is ready to take sanctions against more officials in Putin's inner circle.
The Treasury Department issued a new guidance on Wednesday to close loopholes it said Russia was exploiting to evade sanctions.
Today s guidance makes clear that such actions on behalf of Russia's Central Bank are prohibited, closing off attempts to access the U.S. financial system, the Treasury Department said.
Opinion: The crisis in Ukraine is putting the brakes on monetary policy in multiple directions.
Washington has warned that it was prepared to impose additional costs on wealthy Russians. The U.S. Justice Department launched a task force called KleptoCapture on Wednesday, aimed at straining the finances of Russia's oligarchs.
Washington has so far imposed several rounds of sanctions, including against Putin and the central bank, after Russia's forces invaded Ukraine in the biggest attack on a European state since World War Two. Moscow calls the assault a special operation. The measures include sanctions against Russian elites, including some with ties to Sberbank, VTB, Rosneft and the Federal Security Service FSB The Washington Post, which first reported that the United States was about to expand sanctions on Russian oligarchs, including Alisher Usmanov, owner of an iron and steel conglomerate.
The EU imposed sanctions on 26 prominent people over Russia's invasion of Ukraine, including oligarchs and business people who are active in the oil, banking and finance sectors.
The EU said in a statement that it targeted government members, high-level military people and propagandists who helped spread anti-Ukrainian propaganda.
Several people included in the EU's list on Monday are not yet named by the United States, including Nikolay Tokarev, the chief executive of Transneft, Dmitry Chernyshenko, Russia's deputy prime minister and Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov.
State Department spokesman Ned Price said on Monday that the US sanctions will be symmetrical and mutually reinforcing with those of U.S. allies and partners.
Washington has warned that it is prepared to take further measures to hold Moscow accountable for its invasion of Ukraine.
In his State of the Union address on Tuesday night, U.S. President Joe Biden said the United States would work to seize the yachts, luxury apartments and private jets of wealthy Russians with links to Putin.
Biden said that we are coming for your ill-begotten gains.
The United States and its allies announced last week that they would launch a task force to identify and freeze the assets of sanctioned Russian companies and oligarchs.
The White House said that the United States is very open to imposing sanctions on Russia's oil and gas industry, as it weighs the potential market impact, as global oil prices touched eight-year highs and supply disruptions mounted.