Joe Biden nominates new US sanctions coordinator

US President Joe Biden has proposed appointing James O'Brien as US sanctions coordinator. This was reported by the press service of the White House.

Sanctions Policy Coordinator is a position in the US Department of State. The incumbent has the diplomatic rank of ambassador and is responsible for coordinating US sanctions policy with other countries. O'Brien's nomination must now be approved by Congress.

James O'Brien is now Vice Chairman of the international consulting firm Albright Stonebridge Group and is also one of the company's founders. O'Brien specializes in the areas of healthcare, media communications, information technology, financial sector, consumer products and the environment, and serves on the board and investment committee of Albright Capital Management LLC, an investment company that specializes in emerging markets.

Previously, he twice served as Special Representative of the President of the United States. In 2015-2017, in the Obama administration, he was the President's special envoy for the release of Americans captured abroad. From 1989 to 2001, under the administration of George W. Bush, O'Brien was senior adviser to the secretary of state, deputy HEAD of political planning, and special representative of the US president to the Balkans.

From 2013 to 2017, Daniel Fried served as the coordinator of the sanctions policy department. In 2017, the department was abolished by US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson. According to him, this step is due to the fact that the department of sanctions policy did not have time by October 1 of that year "to apply new measures against RUSSIA, approved by Congress in August."