Kremlin: Sanctions would not personally affect Putin, but would be destructive to relations with the US

SARAJEVO, (Patria) - Russia warned on Wednesday that imposing sanctions on President Vladimir Putin personally would not harm him, but would be "politically destructive", after US President Joe Biden said he would consider such a move if Russia attacked Ukraine.

Biden said on Tuesday that personal sanctions on Putin, while a rare step, could be considered as part of a concerted effort by the United States and its allies to convince Moscow that any new aggression against Ukraine would incur swift and enormous costs, Reuters reports.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that American congressmen and senators discussing personal sanctions against top Russian leaders were unaware of the fact that they are legally prohibited from holding assets, property, and bank accounts abroad.

Individual sanctions on Putin would not be painful, but rather politically destructive, Peskov said, who previously stated that they would represent a break in diplomatic relations.

As officials began four-country talks in Paris, Russia held new military exercises on land and at sea and moved more paratroopers and fighter jets to Belarus, north of Ukraine, for what it describes as joint exercises there next month.

Ukraine said Russia had amassed tens of thousands of troops near the border, but Moscow denied plans to invade. Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said Moscow had not yet amassed enough forces for a large-scale offensive, but that does not mean it cannot do so later.

Almost eight years after Russia seized Crimea and backed separatist fighters in eastern Ukraine's Donbas, the former Soviet republic has become a flashpoint in potentially the most dangerous East-West conflict since the Cold War.

Russia says the crisis is driven by NATO and US actions, and demands security guarantees from the West, including a promise from NATO never to admit Ukraine. Moscow sees Ukraine as a buffer between Russia and NATO countries.

Western allies have threatened economic sanctions against Russia if it invades Ukraine, and the United States is talking to major energy-producing countries and companies around the world about potentially rerouting supplies to Europe if Russia invades Ukraine.

The EU depends on Russia for about a third of its gas supplies. Any disruption to imports would exacerbate an existing energy crisis caused by shortages.