'No Shift On Russia Sanctions', State Dept Says Amid Reports Of Easing Bans On Some Russian Banks

The United States said on Tuesday that its policies related to holding Russia accountable over its unjustified war against Ukraine “have not shifted”, TURAN’s Washington correspondent reports.

“When it comes to our efforts to hold the Russian Federation accountable for its infringement on the territorial integrity and sovereignty of our Ukrainian partners, we have not taken our foot off the gas, going back to February of 2022 since this invasion occurred,” State Department’s Principal Deputy Spokesperson Vedant Patel told a daily briefing when asked by TURAN about recent reports over Washington’s easing restrictions on a group of Russian banks, including the Central Bank, to greenlight energy-related operations.

“We will continue to take steps both to continue to support our Ukrainian partners, but also through sanctions, export controls, and other measures hold the Russian Federation accountable,” Patel went on to add.

“There is no policy shift at all,” he insisted.