The U.S. Senate is planning to vote on sanctions aimed at crippling Russia's economy, a measure that has been called by officials as the "mother of all sanctions." The plan comes as the United Nations plans to confront Russia over its military build-up near Ukraine's border as tensions in the region continue to escalate.
The U.S. ambassador to the UN, Linda Thomas-Greenfield, said Monday that the Security Council would press Russia on the matter this week. She added that the council is unified on working on getting an explanation from Russia on why it is amassing troops near Ukraine.
Thomas-Greenfield said they are willing to listen to Russia, but they are prepared to respond to any disinformation, propaganda, or any attempt to divert from the topic at hand.
The Biden administration has repeatedly warned Russia that if they would move forward with the invasion of Ukraine, the country is prepared to impose "severe" economic sanctions. While the U.S. has not outright stated that it will get involved militarily, officials have said an attack would immediately result in consequences and penalties against Russia.
Senator Bob Menendez, the chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, has threatened to impose pre-emptive sanctions against Russia to deter it from moving ahead with its alleged plan. Menendez said such actions are warranted, given what Russia has already done against Ukraine. He explained that Russia is already guilty of launching cyberattacks and false-flag operations that have undermined the Ukrainian government.
In the case of an invasion, Menendez claimed the Kremlin would be hit with "the mother of all sanctions" that would target Russian banks, which would devastate the economy. At the same time, the U.S. would increase its military and financial support to Ukraine to help it fight against Russia.
Senator James Risch, the top Republican on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said a bipartisan group of senators is ready to vote on the sanctions against Russia. Risch stated that he does not believe Russian President Vladimir Putin has made up his mind about invading Ukraine but warned that the U.S. must demonstrate strength and unity in the face of the potential threat.
Pentagon spokesman John Kirby also said Sunday that the U.S. is weighing a level of sanctions that would go beyond anything Russia has ever seen. He added that the sanctions would be unprecedented and even worse than those they had considered imposing back in 2014 when Russia invaded Crimea.
