The desire to punish Russia for a special operation in Ukraine bears certain economic costs for the United States, said Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen in an interview with ABC television.
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“We are united with our allies in wanting to take the measures necessary … to punish Russia for what it is doing in Ukraine, and this has side effects for us as well,” she admitted.
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The American administration is convinced that the Ukrainian crisis and anti-Russian sanctions are one of the main reasons for record-breaking inflation in the United States in 40 years.
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After the start of a special military operation to denazify and demilitarize Ukraine, Western countries stepped up sanctions pressure on Moscow. Restrictive measures mainly affected the banking sector and the sphere of high-tech products. Calls to abandon Russian energy sources have become louder.
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At the same time, the disruption of supply chains has led to a sharp increase in fuel, electricity and food prices in the United States itself. There, inflation in May accelerated to 8.6 percent, the highest since December 1981, and the cost of gasoline on June 10 rose above $5 a gallon for the first time in history.
