U.S. officials working on new sanctions on Russia over Ukraine

By Patricia Zengerle WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Obama administration is working on new sanctions that would be imposed on Russia if it dramatically ramped up aggression against Ukraine, such as preventing elections from taking place in much of the country or recognizing another separatist referendum, U.S. officials said on Tuesday. "What we're doing this week ... is trying to develop this strong sectoral package on both sides of the Atlantic so that the Russians can see it, understand it, and understand its impact if they take further action to prevent these elections from happening," Assistant Secretary of State Victoria Nuland told a Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing. But both Obama's fellow Democrats and Republican lawmakers pushed the administration to do more, unilaterally and with Europe to discourage Russian aggression in Ukraine, rather than waiting to respond after more action. Democratic New Jersey Senator Robert Menendez, the panel's chairman, said Russians are "doing everything they can" to disrupt Ukraine's May 25 elections.

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