WASHINGTON, July 9. /ITAR-TASS/. The USA insist that Russia “decisively change” its course regarding Ukraine and threaten Moscow with further sanctions soon. Assistant Secretary of State Victoria Nuland said this in a statement on Wednesday.

“We are ready to impose more costs - including targeted sector-specific sanctions — very soon,” she said speaking before the Senate Committee for Foreign Affairs. She noted that this would happen “if Russia does not decisively change course and break its ties with separatists”.

Nuland also expressed the view that «Ukraine's security remains under threat” as “fierce fighting continues to rage in parts of eastern Ukraine”

 

US Treasury ready for further sanctions

The US Treasury is continuing preparations for possible imposing of further sanctions on Russia regarding the Ukrainian crisis. Daniel Glaser, Assistant Secretary for Terrorist Financing in the Department of the Treasury of the United States confirmed this at a session of the Senate Committee for Foreign Affairs. “We are prepared to take additional strong measures to impose severe costs on Russia in defense of Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity,” the official’s statement says. The document was circulated ahead of the session.

Glaser stressed that Washington’s preparations involve consultations with allies in the EU and G7. “In the past two weeks alone, I have personally travelled to France, Germany, and the U.K. to advance preparations,” he said.

Since March 2014, the USA has been imposing sanctions on Russia in response to Crimea’s accession into the Russian Federation. Designations regarding Russian business people and officials, including representatives of Crimea, were announced. In the view of the USA, these are people undermining the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine and involved in major corruption schemes and responsible for it. US-based assets of people included in the blacklist, if any, would be frozen. People from the black list are banned from entering into business contacts with Americans and are not granted visas to enter the United States.

The US has expanded the list several times.