By AFP

MOSCOW: Russia hit again on Wednesday at US threats of direct sanctions towards President Vladimir Putin, saying strikes towards the Russian chief could be ineffective and damage efforts to decrease tensions over Ukraine.

Officers from France, Germany, Russia and Ukraine met for talks in Paris within the newest bid to ease a disaster sparked by fears that Moscow is making ready an invasion of its pro-Western neighbour. The West has warned Russia of extreme penalties if it does invade, and on Tuesday, Washington mentioned there could possibly be sanctions personally focusing on Putin.

Reacting to the information, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov dismissed the threats as nugatory as a result of senior Russian officers are barred from holding belongings overseas. However such a transfer, he mentioned, would do severe injury to diplomatic makes an attempt to ease ratcheting tensions over Ukraine. “Politically, it isn’t painful, it is damaging,” Peskov instructed reporters.

The Kremlin has beforehand mentioned any US sanctions personally focusing on Putin could be akin to crossing a pink line, warning the transfer may end in a rupture of bilateral ties. US President Joe Biden mentioned Tuesday that any Russian navy assault on Ukraine would set off “monumental penalties” and will even “change the world”.

Excessive-tech export sanctions

Echoing Biden’s message, a senior US official described potential financial sanctions “with huge penalties” that will go far past measures carried out in 2014 after Russia annexed Ukraine’s Crimea area.

The official sai that new measures would come with restrictions on exports of high-tech US tools within the synthetic intelligence, quantum computing and aerospace sectors. Chopping Russia off from these applied sciences would hit Putin’s “strategic ambitions to industrialise his economic system fairly laborious”, the official mentioned.

The speaker of Russia’s decrease home mentioned Wednesday that Washington’s risk towards Putin confirmed the US “needs a loyal Russian president that it will probably management”. “America will not be blissful that below President Vladimir Putin, the Russian Federation has turn into robust and unbiased,” Vyacheslav Volodin wrote on social media.

A senior Russian lawmaker in the meantime referred to as on the Kremlin to arm pro-Russian separatists in japanese Ukraine saying “the Kyiv regime should be stopped.” Andrei Turchak, an official in Putin’s United Russia celebration, mentioned Russia “should present” weapons to “deter navy aggression clearly being ready by Kyiv.”

Throughout weeks of talks between Russian, US and European diplomats, Western leaders have repeatedly warned of far-reaching financial measures towards Moscow within the occasion of an assault.

The talks in Paris Wednesday are bringing collectively certainly one of Russia’s deputy prime ministers and a senior aide to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, in addition to diplomatic advisors to French President Emmanuel Macron and German chief Olaf Scholz.

Negotiations thus far have did not ease tensions, although Washington and Moscow have agreed to maintain speaking. 

Russia to take ‘obligatory measures’

Russia has mentioned it expects this week to obtain written US responses to sweeping safety calls for Moscow made final 12 months that search to dramatically restrict NATO’s attain and capabilities in Japanese Europe and the ex-USSR.

Russia Overseas Minister Sergei Lavrov warned in an tackle to lawmakers Wednesday that Moscow would take “all obligatory measures” if it did not obtain constructive responses and if the West continued its “aggressive coverage”.

A senior Western diplomat mentioned later that NATO was near finalising its response, describing most of the Russian calls for as “unacceptable or unrealistic”. Nonetheless, the diplomat recognized areas the place NATO may “work on their issues”. 

Moscow has in the meantime introduced a spate of navy drills together with in Belarus, and mentioned Tuesday it might maintain contemporary workouts involving 6,000 troops close to Ukraine and throughout the Crimea area. As a part of separate naval workouts introduced this month, Russia warships entered the Barents Sea on Wednesday, the North Fleet mentioned in an announcement.

The West has accused Russia of massing some 100,000 troops alongside the Ukrainian border. Ukrainian Overseas Minister Dmytro Kuleba mentioned Wednesday that the variety of Russian troops “is inadequate for a full-scale offensive” however does pose “a direct risk” to Ukraine.

Fears of a Russian invasion observe on from Moscow’s annexation of the Crimean peninsula in 2014 and the seize by pro-Kremlin separatists of two self-proclaimed breakaway republics in Ukraine’s east. Greater than 13,000 folks have died within the combating between authorities forces and the pro-Russian rebels.