U.S. sanctions Putin, Lavrov over Russian military operation in Ukraine

Photo taken on Feb. 21, 2022 shows a screen displaying Russian President Vladimir Putin speaking during a televised address to the nation in Moscow, Russia. (Xinhua/Bai Xueqi)

The U.S. move followed that of the European Union and Britain, which announced sanctions targeting the top Russian leadership earlier on Friday.

WASHINGTON, Feb. 25 (Xinhua) -- The administration of U.S. President Joe Biden will sanction Russian President Vladimir Putin and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov over Moscow's ongoing military operation in Ukraine, the White House confirmed Friday.

"In alignment with the decision by our European allies, the United States will join them in sanctioning President Putin and Foreign Minister Lavrov and members of the Russian national security team," White House press secretary Jen Psaki told a regular news briefing on Friday, adding more specifics will be announced later in the day.

The U.S. move followed that of the European Union (EU) and Britain, which announced sanctions targeting the top Russian leadership earlier on Friday.

Biden on Thursday announced additional U.S. sanctions against Russia targeting the country's major financial institutions and an additional number of Russian individuals and their family members with ties to the Kremlin, on top of the so-called "first tranche" of sanctions imposed on Russian state-owned banks, the Russian sovereign debt market as well as individual elites.

White House press secretary Jen Psaki (Rear) speaks during a press briefing at the White House in Washington, D.C., the United States, on June 8, 2021. (Photo by Ting Shen/Xinhua)

Asked about the possibility of his Russian counterpart, Biden didn't commit to that on Thursday, only saying it remained an option on the table.

Psaki said Friday the reason Biden waited until after the EU and Britain announced their sanctions against the Russian president to decide on his own move is that his "strong principle ... has been to take actions and steps in alignment with our European partners."

Also on Friday, a senior administration official said future U.S. sanctions will not target Russian oil and gas industry.

"The sanctions will not target the oil flows as we go forward," Amos Hochstein, the State Department's senior energy security adviser, said in an interview on Bloomberg Television.

Hochstein said doing so won't necessarily reduce Russia's oil and gas revenue, and may instead lead to a scenario where "the United States and our allies would suffer the consequences."