W.H. Deputy NSA on Ukraine’s Call for More Sanctions: ‘There’s Almost a Bloodlust’ for Sanctions, But I’m Not Saying Ukraine Has It

On Wednesday’s broadcast of CNN’s “New Day,” Deputy National Security Adviser Daleep Singh responded to Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba’s call for harsher sanctions against Russia by stating that he wonders “if there’s almost a bloodlust out there for sanctions as an end in themselves.” But denied he was saying Kuleba has this bloodlust and said the sanctions announced on Tuesday were “a demonstration effect, and that demonstration effect will go higher and higher.”

Co-host John Berman read from Kuleba’s tweet and then asked, “How do you explain to the Ukrainian Foreign Minister why you are not hitting harder now?”

Singh responded, “Well, John, sometimes I wonder if there’s almost a bloodlust out there for sanctions as an end in themselves. But let me just be really clear, we did hit hard yesterday, and it was only a demonstration effect. … But the point the Ukrainians are making is right. These costs are going to escalate from here.”

Berman then asked who Singh thinks has a bloodlust for sanctions. Singh answered, “I hear it from many in the media, why didn’t you impose all of your sanctions on day one? And so, what I’m saying to you is, we saw the beginning of an invasion yesterday –.”

Berman then cut in to point out he was quoting Ukraine’s Foreign Minister, and ask, “So, does the Ukrainian Foreign Minister have a bloodlust for sanctions?”

Singh answered, “No. No. I’m not saying that. I’m saying I hear from questions out there and commentary, people wondering why didn’t we implement the full package of sanctions yesterday. And what I’m saying to you is, yesterday was a demonstration effect, and that demonstration effect will go higher and higher.”

Follow Ian Hanchett on Twitter @IanHanchett