WASHINGTON (Reuters) — The Obama
administration is preparing financial sanctions that could be imposed on
Ukrainian officials and protest leaders if violence escalates in the
political crisis gripping Ukraine, congressional aides said on
Wednesday.
Congressional aides, who asked not to be identified by name
because of the sensitive subject, said they had discussed the
sanction preparations with administration officials.
They said final details of the package have not been worked out, but
it could be put in place quickly against government officials — or
leaders of the protest movement — in case of widespread violence.
Six people have been killed in Kiev and other Ukrainian cities in
protests that erupted more than two months ago after President
Viktor Yanukovich walked away from a treaty with the European Union
under pressure from Russia.
Alarmed by the crisis, Washington has revoked the visas of some
Ukrainian officials.
President Barack Obama referred to Ukraine in his State of the Union
address on Tuesday, voicing support for the principle that all
people have the right to free expression.
Vice President Joe Biden has spoken to Yanukovich at least three
times. And two U.S. senators, Republican John McCain of Arizona and
Democrat Chris Murphy of Connecticut, traveled to Kiev last month
and addressed demonstrations.
The House Foreign Affairs Committee on Wednesday passed a resolution
calling on all sides in the confrontation to refrain from violence
and work toward a peaceful resolution.
"The situation in Ukraine remains very volatile and more needs to be
done," said Representative Eliot Engel, the New York Democrat who
sponsored the resolution. "We must remain engaged."
However, U.S. lawmakers and Obama administration officials said they
were encouraged by recent developments, including the Ukrainian
parliament's vote to repeal anti-protest laws.
"We were encouraged that Ukraine's parliament repealed the most
egregious of the most anti-democratic laws. Today we want to urge
President Yanukovich to sign the repeal laws," State Department
spokeswoman Jen Psaki said at a news briefing.
She told reporters the State Department has been willing to consider
sanctions but no decision has been made.
Alarm has grown elsewhere in the West. German Chancellor Angela
Merkel telephoned Russian President Vladimir Putin and Yanukovich on
Wednesday, urging a constructive dialogue between the government and
opposition.
Putin raised the pressure on Ukraine on Wednesday, saying Russia
would wait until Ukraine forms a new government before fully
implementing a $15 billion bailout deal that Kiev urgently needs.
Congressional aides, who asked not to be identified by name
because of the sensitive subject, said they had discussed the
sanction preparations with administration officials.
