WASHINGTON (Reuters) – U.S. President Joe Biden said on Wednesday he would discuss with his G7 counterparts this week possible additional sanctions against Russia over its military offensive in Ukraine.
“We are still open to additional sanctions,” Biden told reporters when asked about Washington’s plans after the European Union proposed a new set of sanctions against Russia on Wednesday, including an oil embargo.
“I will speak with the members of the G7 this week on what we are going to do or not do,” he added.
Russia has stepped up its offensive in eastern Ukraine, Ukraine’s Defense Minister said on Wednesday, nearly ten weeks after the start of a war that has claimed thousands of lives.
The European Commission on Wednesday proposed a new, unprecedented set of sanctions against Russia for Moscow’s offensive in Ukraine, but several countries in the bloc worried about the impact of an embargo on oil imports. Russia cast doubt on the conclusion of an agreement of the Twenty-Seven.
(Report Jeff Mason, French version Federica Mileo, said by Jean-Michel Blot)