The United States on Thursday announced a new round of sanctions against Russia.

According to the White House, the US President Joe Biden signed the executive order imposing new sanctions on Russia in retaliation for Moscow’s threat to national security, economy and foreign policy of the United States.

The White House also announced the expulsion of 10 Russian diplomats.

The US sanctions are aimed at covering the economic, financial and business sectors and institutions of Russian Federation.

In addition, Biden stressed the importance of the protection of sovereignty and territorial integrity of US allies and partners in the document on new sanctions.

Speaking to Eurasia Diary, Dennis Etler, American expert on international relations, made comments on the aim of  US sanctions and its impacts.

The expert initially talked about the essence of Biden's executive order on sanctions.

He considered that Biden is a figurehead for the neoliberal cabal that has resumed leadership in Washington.

“Power resides in junior holdovers from the Clinton/Obama White House who have now assumed the top positions in the US foreign policy bureaucracy. The National Security Adviser, Jake Sullivan, and the Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, are long-time Biden confidants and have been allocated authority to frame US foreign policy to which Biden then signs off. Both Sullivan and Blinken are stalwart advocates of an anti-Russia/anti-China hard-line foreign policy aligned with its “democratic” allies in the UK, EU and East Asia,” Etler said.

Touching upon the attitude of US allies in Europe and East Asia to the new sanctions against Russia, Etler pointed out that American allies are being caught between a rock and a hard place.

According to him, they don't want to antagonize the US, nor do they want to burn too many bridges to the East which are essential for their economic survival.

“During the Clinton/Obama years the US did all in its power to constrain Russian core national interests in Eastern Europe and the Middle East, by expanding NATO to Russia’s borders and promoting the Colour Revolution in neighbouring Ukraine,” he said.

“Alleged Russian reactions to aggressive US provocations are seized upon by Washington to try and further isolate Russia with sanctions,” he added. 

American expert considered that Biden’s sanctions package against Russia is meant on one hand to appease his political opponents among Republican neo-conservatives and on the other to placate the neo-liberals in his own entourage.

“In that sense it is a typical political ploy,” he noted.

Noting that whether new sanctions will affect Russia or not, Etler stressed that the sanctions will not have any impact on Russian population.

“The new sanctions are a joke and will have no effect on the Russians other than to prompt them to retaliate in kind,” he said.

“Russia is left with few options other than to play tit-for-tat. Since the US holds more cards than Russia does, both economically and diplomatically, Russia's response will be more for show than not,” he added.

The NATO Council released a statement supporting the Biden administration’s sanctions and standing in solidarity with the US against Russia.

American expert pointed out that the US is the taskmaster and NATO is its client.

According to him, when the US cracks the whip NATO obliges like the good servants they are.

“It is noteworthy; however, that the US has not applied any additional sanctions on the Nord Stream 2 gas pipelines between Russia and Germany. Although the US can pull NATO’s strings it also has to take into account the core interests of Germany which is the mainstay of the EU and a vital US ally. The US wants to enlist Germany in its anti-China policies, but the Germans have so far resisted as China is their biggest trade partner and primary market. As a result the Biden team is restricted in how it can pressure Germany,” Etler stressed.

“Other members of NATO, particularly in the Balkans, have also interests in maintaining a stable relationship with China.  So US attempts to enlist NATO in its anti-China crusade are somewhat constrained. The easiest response is for NATO to rhetorically back the US while continuing to develop economic relations with China,” he added.  

Furthermore, American politician said that Biden is really interested in straining tension with Russia. He will not be interested in promoting conciliation and understanding with Russia, China and other countries, which oppose imperial interests of the United States. 

“By having foreign adversaries such as Russia and China he can more easily galvanize political support at home. It is in Biden’s political interest to maintain a Cold War stance towards both Russia and China while pursuing limited engagement on certain issues such as climate change and arms control,” he added.

by Yunis Abdullayev