Ukraine working with U.S. on new sanctions against Russia - Ambassador Markarova

Oksana Markarova, Ukraine’s Ambassador to the USA, said this on Friday in response to Ukrinform's question.

"We really welcome today's package (sanctions - ed.), it is excellent. But immediately after it was announced, we went on with our work on the next package, and, hopefully, it will be introduced soon," the ambassador noted.

She emphasized that the restrictions against Russia introduced on Friday cover more than 500 individuals and entities in various sectors of the aggressor state’s economy.

"This is a comprehensive package. Not only does it cover a large part of Russia’s defense production, which is very important, but also most of it targets those who are involved in this production – suppliers and those who services criminal Russia’s defense industry," said Markarova.

The ambassador also drew attention to the "powerful blow" to Russia’s financial sector, which included not only sanctions against nine Russian banks and investment funds, but also the "Mir" payment system. According to the diplomat, this is critical for curtailing Russia’s ability to finance its war effort, including to pull up reserves and replenish arms stocks.

In this context, the ambassador stressed that the Ukrainian side would not stop providing the U.S. with information on the criminal activities of Russia’s financial institutions in order to introduce sanctions against several hundred other Russian banks.

In addition, Markarova emphasized the importance of maintaining and strengthening restrictions against Russia’s energy sector, including in the context of oil and petroleum price caps. Moreover, it is equally important to identify and hold accountable those who help Moscow evade the existing sanctions.

"We believe sanctions are no less important than providing Ukraine with weapons and financial support," the ambassador emphasized. She assured that the Ukrainian side would work with American partners to this end "as actively as before."

As Ukrinform reported, the United States slapped Russia with a large-scale package of sanctions on Friday. Earlier this week, the European Union introduced similar restrictions.