The United States and its allies in Europe are considering the option of new sanctions against Russia in the event of an aggravation of the situation around Ukraine. This was reported by Bloomberg on Monday, November 15, referring to American officials.
In addition, the option of increasing military assistance to Kiev is also being discussed, the agency writes. So, last week, during negotiations with European partners, Washington raised the issue of working out a new package of measures aimed at countering possible aggressive steps of the Russian Federation against Kiev, the publication says.
The elaboration of such measures against Moscow is at an early stage and will require additional discussions, the journalists noted.
The agency's sources did not explain what kind of restrictions may follow in relation to the Russian Federation. At the same time, the article says that new sanctions may affect the Russian energy sector.
It is noted that the official representative of the White House refused to comment on this information.
On the same day, the Financial Times reported with reference to the words of the Deputy head of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine, Anna Malyar, that the West had warned Kiev about the alleged impending aggression by the Russian Federation this winter. According to the Painter, Kiev has data on the concentration of a large group of Russian military near the borders of Ukraine, as well as some secret information.
It is noteworthy that recently the Western media have become more active in spreading information about the alleged military activity of Russia. So, on November 11, Bloomberg, citing sources, reported that representatives of the administration of the President of the United States Joe Biden voiced concerns at a briefing about Russia's possible preparations for an invasion of Ukraine.
The press secretary of the President of the Russian Federation Dmitry Peskov in response noted that the agency's material is an empty, groundless escalation of tension. According to him, provocative actions are becoming more and more at the moment. He pointed out that all this cannot leave Russia indifferent to what is happening.
On November 12, Dmitry Polyansky, the first Deputy Permanent Representative of the Russian Federation to the UN, denied information about the alleged plans for Russia's invasion of Ukraine. He stressed that the country has never planned this and does not plan it. In turn, Russian President Vladimir Putin said that statements that the Russian Federation is allegedly preparing an invasion of Ukraine are alarmist.
The Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation, in turn, indicated that it is NATO that is increasing activity near the borders of Russia.