US ambassador to UN vows more sanctions on Russia

U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Linda Thomas-Greenfield on Sunday vowed that the Biden administration would impose more sanctions on Russia over its invasion of Ukraine and said that U.S. officials had not “taken anything off the table.”

“We’re continuing to look at this. We’re ramping up as the Russians ramp up, so there’s more to come,” Thomas-Greenfield said on CNN’s “State of the Union.” 

“While energy is not in this current announcement, it doesn’t mean it’s off the table, but we also want to do everything we can to protect our own economy from the impact of this,” she added. 

Her remarks came after the Biden administration imposed sanctions against several Russian banks, but did not target Moscow’s energy sector. 

Along with its allies, the U.S. imposed sanctions including kicking certain Russian banks out of the Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication (SWIFT), a major international banking system.

The U.S. and its allies have also promised measures to prevent the Russian Central Bank from undermining sanctions and bolstering the ruble via the use of reserves.

Last week, Russia launched a full-scale military invasion of Ukraine and since then, the U.N. has called for the aggression to cease. 

Later on Sunday, the United Nations Security Council is expected to vote on holding a rare emergency special session on Monday to discuss the crisis in Ukraine.

When asked on Sunday about the possibility of a no-fly zone over Ukraine, Thomas-Greenfield noted that President Biden “has made clear that we’re not going to put boots on the ground, we’re not going to put American troops in danger.”