WASHINGTON
\nThe United States marked the first anniversary of Russia\u2019s invasion of Ukraine on Friday by announcing new sanctions against Russia and its allies, new export controls and tariffs aimed at undermining Moscow\u2019s ability to wage war.
\nWashington also said it would provide $2 billion in more weaponry for Kyiv as it prepares for a spring offensive. The aid did not include F-16 fighter jets that Ukraine has requested.
\nPresident Joe Biden was to consult leaders of the G7 allies and Ukraine President Volodomyr Zelensky at 9 a.m. (1400 GMT) to discuss what more aid can be provided to the Ukrainians.
\nThe United States joined with G7 allies with plans to impose sanctions that will target 200 individuals and entities and a dozen Russian financial institutions.
\nThe sanctions are aimed at targets in Russia and \u201cthird-country actors\u201d across Europe, Asia and the Middle East that are supporting Russia\u2019s war effort, the White House said in a fact sheet.
\n\u201cWe will sanction additional actors tied to Russia\u2019s defense and technology industry, including those responsible for backfilling Russian stocks of sanctioned items or enabling Russian sanctions evasion,\u201d it said.
\nBiden was to sign proclamations to raise tariffs on Russian products imported to the United States. They will result in increased tariffs on more than 100 Russian metals, minerals and chemical products worth about $2.8 billion to Russia.
\n\u201cIt will also significantly increase costs for aluminum that was smelted or cast in Russia to enter the US market in order to counter harm to the domestic aluminum industry,\u201d the White House said.
\nThe US Commerce Department will take several export control actions, listing nearly 90 Russian and third-country companies, including in China, for engaging in sanctions evasion in support of Russia\u2019s defense sector.
\n\u201cThese listings will prohibit the targeted companies from purchasing items, such as semiconductors, whether made in the US or with certain US technology or software abroad,\u201d the White House said.
\nCommerce will also act with G7 allies to align measures on industrial machinery, luxury goods and other items, as well as issue new restrictions to prevent components found in Iranian drones from making their way to the Ukraine battlefield, the White House said.
\nBiden has spent the past year rallying US allies against Russia\u2019s invasion.
\nWhen the war began, Russia had anticipated taking over Kyiv quickly with a lightning strike and absorbing its western neighbor in what Moscow called a \u201cspecial military operation.\u201d
\nBut Ukraine\u2019s fierce resistance, bolstered by massive amounts of weaponry from the United States and NATO allies, has helped it hold the line and put pressure on Russian President Vladimir Putin at home.
\nThe Pentagon said the additional $2 billion in military aid for Ukraine includes more ammunition for the High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS) and a number of different types of drones including Switchblades and the CyberLux K8.
\nThe weapons will come from a fund known as the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative, which allows the Biden administration to get weapons from industry rather than from US weapons stocks.
\nIn a statement marking the anniversary, US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said the United States had committed more than $32 billion in military aid over the past year to Ukraine, including 8,500 Javelin anti-armor systems and 38 HIMARS.
\n\u201cPutin thought that Ukraine\u2019s defenses would collapse, that America\u2019s resolve would falter, and that the world would look the other way. He was wrong,\u201d Austin said.
\n\u201cOne year later, Ukraine\u2019s brave defenders have not wavered, and neither has our commitment to support them for as long as it takes,\u201d he said.
\nResistance remained in the upper reaches of Biden\u2019s administration to sending American fighter jets to Ukraine.
\nWhite House national security adviser Jake Sullivan, asked if the United States will send F-16s jets, told CNN on Thursday that they are not the key capability needed for Ukraine\u2019s upcoming spring offensive, but more for long-term defensive needs.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
WASHINGTON The United States marked the first anniversary of Russia\u2019s invasion of Ukraine on Friday by announcing new sanctions against Russia and its allies, new export controls and tariffs aimed at undermining Moscow\u2019s ability to wage war. Washington also said it would provide $2 billion in more weaponry for Kyiv as it prepares for a […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":315909,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-315904","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-world"},"yoast_head":"\n