Biden extends Russia sanctions over aggression in Ukraine

U.S. President Joe Biden has extended the sanctions imposed in 2014 on the Russian Federation over its aggression against Ukraine.

The corresponding document appeared in the U.S. Federal Register.

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The explanatory note says Russia's actions and policies "continue to pose an unusual and extraordinary threat to the national security and foreign policy of the United States," it said.

Therefore, Biden decided that the sanctions regime, introduced on March 6, 2014, should be extended after March 6, 2021 for another year.

U.S. sanctions against Russia

• On March 6, 2014, President Obama signed Executive Order 13660 that authorizes sanctions on individuals and entities responsible for violating the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine, or for stealing the assets of the Ukrainian people. These sanctions put in place restrictions on the travel of certain individuals and officials and showed our continued efforts to impose a cost on Russia and those responsible for the situation in Crimea.
• Subsequently, Obama, as well as the next U.S. President, Donald Trump, extended and expanded sanctions over the occupation of Crimea and the events in Donbas.
• On February 26, 2021, when Ukraine marked the Day of Resistance to Russia's Occupation of Crimea, U.S. President Joe Biden said that the U.S. authorities would never recognize Russia's purported annexation of the Crimean peninsula and will stand with Ukraine against Russia's aggressive acts.