Washington says Putin plans to act against Ukraine by the middle of next month

 US Assistant Secretary of State Wendy Sherman confirmed Wednesday that the United States believes that Russian President Vladimir Putin is ready to use force against Ukraine by mid-February, despite pressure to prevent it.

"I have no idea if he made the final decision, but we certainly see every indication that he will use military force at some point, maybe (between) now and mid-February," Sherman told a forum.

 US imposes sanctions on Vladimir Putin personally

 US President Joe Biden announced Tuesday that he was ready to impose sanctions on his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin personally if Russia attacked Ukraine, warning that the move would have "enormous consequences" and even "could change the world."

 During a visit to a convenience store in Washington, a reporter asked him if he would consider imposing sanctions on Putin personally, and Biden replied, "Yes. I could look into that."

 A senior US official warned that his country would not hesitate to impose harsh sanctions on Russia, including restrictions on exports of US high-tech equipment, assuring Washington's European allies that any use by Moscow of its oil and gas exports as a "weapon" would be counterproductive.

 "We are ready to impose sanctions with huge repercussions" that go beyond previous measures implemented in 2014 after Russia invaded Ukraine's Crimea peninsula, the official told reporters, speaking on condition of anonymity.

 He added, "The time for gradual measures is over," stressing that if Russia invades Ukraine again, "we will start from the top of the escalation ladder."

 The US official touched on the fears prevailing in Europe that Russia will respond to any sanctions by reducing its energy exports to the old continent on which it depends heavily, saying that Moscow will harm itself if it takes such a step.

 Energy as a weapon and the search for alternative sources

 He pointed out that the United States and its European allies are searching in global markets for alternative sources of energy to mitigate the repercussions of any conflict, at a time when Europe is mainly suffering from high energy prices significantly during the winter.

 "We are talking about advanced technology that we design and produce," such as artificial intelligence, quantum computing, and technology for the aviation industry, the US official said, which "would hit hard (Russian President Vladimir) Putin's strategic ambitions to transform his economy toward industrialization."

 And he added, "These are sectors that Putin himself has defended as Russia's way forward to diversify its economy beyond oil and gas... In many cases, if Russia wants to develop these sectors, it needs to import technology and products that only we, our allies and our partners produce."  ".

 The White House announced Tuesday that US President Joe Biden will meet the Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, in Washington on January 31.  In a statement, White House spokeswoman Jen Psaki said that the meeting will address security in the Middle East and "securing the stability of global energy supplies."