President Barack Obama has signed a new executive order that authorizes his administration 'to impose sanctions not just on individuals but on key sectors of the Russian economy,' he said Thursday morning. Speaking on the South Lawn of the White House before boarding Marine One en route to Florida, he also announced a new raft of anti-Moscow choke-holds that the White House is attempting immediately to 'impose additional costs on Russia.' 'We're imposing sanctions on more senior officials of the Russian government ... [and] other individuals who provide material support' to them, Obama said in a brief statement. He also announced new sanctions on Bank Rossiya, which he said 'provides material support to these individuals.'
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President signed new executive order authorizing the U.S. to sanction 'a whole slew' of wealthy Russians and a bank that holds their assets
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New move freezes assets of new targets and prohibits them from doing business in the United States
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The bank will be denied access to U.S. dollars
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Additional sanctions would also go into place if Vladimir Putin invades more of Ukraine or other nations
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White House aims to cripple Russian economy including financial services, energy, metals and mining, defense and related material, and engineering
A senior @placeholder official told reporters during a conference call following the president's remarks that new sanctions announcements could continue to roll out, and poked at some Russian officials who have portrayed a similar announcement on Monday as 'a slap on the wrist.'