The United States imposed sanctions on 10 Russian naval entities in connection with Russian operations against Ukrainian ports on Thursday, the State Department announced, as Washington increased pressure on Moscow to invade Ukraine, Reuters reported.

The measure comes after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyi met with President Joe Biden in Washington and addressed Congress on Wednesday, during which he thanked the United States for supporting Ukraine in the conflict and called for an increase in weapons, Agerpres notes.

“Following Russian naval operations against Ukrainian ports, including those that supply the world with much-needed food and grain, the United States today imposes sanctions against Russian naval organizations,” US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken said in a statement.

Since October, Moscow has been carrying out missile and drone strikes on the energy infrastructure of Ukraine, Reuters reminds.

Ukraine said its Black Sea port of Odesa was down for a day earlier this month, while the ports of Chornomorsk and Pivdenne were only partially operational after a Russian attack on the region’s power system.

All three ports export grain under a deal struck by the UN and Turkey in July with Russia and Ukraine to restore Ukrainian Black Sea shipping – blocked since Moscow’s February 24 invasion – and facilitate Russian exports of food and fertilizer.

The State Department said it had identified six entities targeted on Thursday as working or having worked in both the defense and related sectors of the Russian economy. Another four entities working in the maritime sector of the Russian economy were targeted.

“The United States remains committed to using all appropriate measures to deter Russian attacks on Ukraine, whether by air, land, or sea. These measures underscore a simple message: the Kremlin must end its brutal campaign against Ukraine,” Blinken said.

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