The paper is relying on conversations with US and European officials, who revealed details about sanctions that could follow a possible Russian invasion. The US is deliberately leaking plans to influence Russian President Vladimir Putin. He will then know what sanctions he may face.
The US and other Western countries are very concerned about a Russian troop build-up on the border with Ukraine. They fear that Moscow is considering invading that Eastern European country. The list of possible sanctions includes arming anti-Russian guerrillas in Ukraine if it actually comes to an invasion, the newspaper writes.
Washington is also said to have consulted with allies about the possibility of cutting off major Russian financial institutions from international payments. Those plans have now been leaked on the eve of summit meetings to prevent further escalation.
Russia is in talks with the US and NATO this week. Moscow wants, among other things, a guarantee that neighboring Ukraine cannot join that alliance. Since the fall of the communist Soviet Union, many other former Soviet states have joined NATO, much to Russia’s chagrin.
The US is not confident about the successful outcome of the approaching talks. According to The New York Times, diplomats fear that the Russians may subsequently declare that their concerns have not been sufficiently addressed. That could serve as a justification for taking military action.
The Americans would have looked closely at the impact of sanctions imposed on Russia in 2014. This happened after the annexation of the Ukrainian peninsula Crimea. The White House later concluded that those measures were harmful to the Russian economy, but not so painful that Putin was forced to step back.
That should be different this time. An insider called the planned sanctions “the high-impact, rapid response that we didn’t opt for in 2014.”