Former NATO Commander, James Stavridis, is urging President Biden to escalate sanctions against Russian President Vladimir Putin. This includes targeting Putin’s personal finances and restricting the international travels of his close circles; a move that would add onto the already tense international pressure.
Stavridis also presented the idea that Putin should face charges in an international criminal court to make the penalties personal and thus, more impactful. This comes after Biden imposed over 500 new sanctions against Russia following the ongoing conflict in Ukraine.
An essential part of Stavridis’ strategy is crippling Russia’s economic power by potentially severing its access to the SWIFT banking system. This move could drastically affect Russia’s global financial transactions. He also advocates for increased military presence by western allies in Eastern Europe as a deterrence tool.
Despite the non-military stance of Biden’s administration, the US has significantly increased their support to Ukraine, providing financial aid and non-lethal military equipment. In parallel to this, diplomatic efforts continue to solve the Russia-Ukraine crisis.
Stavridis’s comments come after the death of Russian political opposition figure, Alexei Navalny. The former commander endorses the suspicions around Kremlin’s likely involvement in Navalny’s death, strengthening the call for increased support to Ukraine. He also praises Navalny’s commitment to democracy and suggests that Navalny’s death signals an increase in Putin’s confidence in his power
This increase in US support to Ukraine faces internal opposition within Congress, rendering necessary military support unavailable. The proposal by Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer to provide Ukraine with a $60 billion national security bill to combat Russia faces backlash from lawmakers advocating domestic issues. This divide in Congress brings uncertainty to the provision of urgently needed aid.
The impasse is exacerbated by Speaker Mike Johnson’s reluctance to progress without stricter border security measures. This deadlock extends to a previous bipartisan bill to address immigration and border security, which was dismissed by Senate Republicans. Despite these hurdles, President Biden is committed to supporting Ukraine against Russian aggression.
