Washington
The sanctions are economic and designed to target oligarchs with ties to President Vladimir Putin, the officials said. The final number facing punitive action remains fluid, the U.S. officials said, but is expected to include at least a half a dozen people under sanctions powers given to the president by Congress.
In recent weeks, President Donald Trump’s national security advisers have pushed for more sanctions after a series of alleged moves by Russia, including the poisoning of a former Russian spy in England, interference in the U.S. 2016 elections and a cyberattack described as the most destructive and costly in history.
Officials spoke about the sanctions on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss pending actions.
On Tuesday night, outgoing national security adviser H.R. McMaster called on the United States to take a tougher line against Moscow, saying, “We have failed to impose sufficient costs.”
The remark came hours after President Trump said in a White House news conference that “nobody has been tougher on Russia than I have.”
Russian officials, meanwhile, have expressed exasperation with the United States. Moscow’s ambassador to the United States, Anatoly Antonov, said the “atmosphere in Washington is poison.”
“It’s a toxic atmosphere,” he told NBC News.
The United States is expected to target individuals on a list of influential Russian political and business leaders that the Treasury Department released in January, officials said.
The United States also could impose sanctions based on authorities Congress granted to target anyone conducting significant business with Russian intelligence and defense sectors.