US Imposes Direct Sanctions on Russian President Putin... Including Foreign and Defense Ministers

A woman who lived here is screaming in front of an apartment building in Kyiv, the capital of Ukraine, which was reduced to a pile of debris with its walls tattered after a rocket attack on the 25th (local time).
[Image source=AP Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Gwan-joo] Amid ongoing direct sanctions from the West over Russia's invasion of Ukraine, the United States has directly placed Russian President Vladimir Putin under sanctions.

On the 25th (local time), the U.S. Department of the Treasury added Russian President Vladimir Putin to the sanctions list in response to the Ukraine invasion. Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu, and Chief of the General Staff Valery Gerasimov were also included in the sanctions.

It is highly unusual for the United States to sanction a foreign head of state directly. This is interpreted as the U.S. taking Russia's invasion of Ukraine very seriously.

Previously, the West had announced plans for direct sanctions against President Putin and others. The European Union (EU) agreed to freeze assets held by President Putin and Foreign Minister Lavrov in Europe, and Canada and the United Kingdom also announced sanction measures.

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