US’ fresh action targeting countries including China shows Washington’s dilemma over Ukraine crisis: expert

In a so-called "most concerted" move against sanction circumvention aimed at intensifying pressure on Russia, the US Treasury and State departments have imposed sanctions on entities and individuals from over a dozen countries. 

Experts said that the latest move comes as the US government is caught in a dilemma as it has lost control over the Russia-Ukraine conflict. However, the new curbs are unlikely to have a substantial impact on Moscow's military capabilities, they said.

The US Treasury and State departments imposed sanctions on nearly 400 entities and people from over a dozen countries in fresh action against Russia, Reuters reported on Wednesday, citing a US official who described the action as the "most concerted" push against third-country evasion. 

"The Biden administration is trying to further isolate Russia through intensifying sanctions, but it is caught in a dilemma on the issue as the situation on the battlefield is spiraling out of US control," Lü Xiang, a research fellow at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, told the Global Times on Thursday. 

"If the US chooses to withdraw from the engagement, it will be another embarrassing moment exposing its incompetence, similar to the withdrawal from Afghanistan; but if it continues to escalate its involvement, the Ukraine crisis could drag the US down a bottomless pit where Washington can neither financially nor politically meet the growing needs," Lü said. 

According to Reuters, countries affected by the curbs include Russia, China, India, United Arab Emirates, Turkey, Thailand, Malaysia and Switzerland. The sanctions targeted dozens of companies from China and India, marking the largest collective action against entities from these countries to date, the report said. 

To what extent can the US weaken Russia through these curbs? Lü said that non-US supply chains have emerged. Many American and European companies are also seeking to 'de-Americanize' their operations to strengthen other trade relations, as using US technology can subject them to unreasonable US restrictions.

In terms of the US move's impact on Russian military capabilities, the expert believes the sanctions are rather ineffective, as Russia has an independent weapon system and does not need to rely on other countries.