Pro-Russian rebels paraded European monitors they are holding in eastern Ukraine on Sunday, freeing one but saying they had no plans to release another seven as the United States and Europe prepared new sanctions against Moscow, according to the Associated Press.
President Barack Obama called for the United States and Europe to join forces to impose stronger measures to restrain Moscow as the White House prepares to add names of people close to President Vladimir Putin and firms they control to a list of Russians hit by sanctions over Ukraine, and also impose new restrictions on high tech exports, the AP reported.
The European Union is expected to follow suit by adding to its own list of targeted Russian people and firms, but Washington and Brussels have yet to reach agreement on wider measures designed to hurt the Russian economy more broadly, according to the AP.
Pro-Russian rebels have proclaimed an independent "people's republic" in Donets where armed fighters seized the headquarters of regional television and ordered it to start broadcasting a Russian state TV channel, the AP reported.
White House deputy national security adviser Tony Blinken said the new U.S. measures would be imposed on Monday, mostly focused on adding to a list of those barred from travel to the United States and hit by asset freezes, according to the AP.
"We will be looking to designate people who are in (Putin's) inner circle, who have a significant impact on the Russian economy. We'll be looking to designate companies that they and other inner circle people control," Blinken told CBS television, the AP reported. "We'll be looking at taking steps, as well, with regard to high-technology exports to their defense industry. All of this together is going to have an impact," he added.
