U.S. ambassador to NATO on Russia-Ukraine tensions, economic sanctions
U.S. Ambassador to NATO Julianne Smith said the U.S. and its allies are continuing to signal to Russia that they are ready to respond to an escalation, including by imposing “massive economic sanctions and consequences.”
“We’re looking at all options,” she told CNBC’s Hadley Gamble on Thursday.
In response to a question on whether sanctions are limited in their effectiveness, Smith said there isn’t “any indication yet” that Russian President Vladimir Putin has decided what to do with the troops that he has deployed to the border with Ukraine.
“We’re trying to sharpen the choice for President Putin as he weighs his options here,” she added.
The growing military presence at the border has sparked fears of a war between Moscow and Kyiv. Negotiations with the U.S. and other Western powers have not yielded much progress, and the possibility of punishing sanctions has not pressured Russia into de-escalating the situation.
The former president…
