Washington(PTI): It is becoming more and more difficult for Russian President Vladimir Putin to fund his war in Ukraine, the White House said Tuesday adding that more tough sanctions are to be announced on Wednesday.

What we are doing and we're already seeing effectively happen is the financial system in Russia is near the brink of collapse. I mean, they're projecting 15 per cent inflation, a contraction of 15 percent in their economy. Private sector businesses are pulling out of the country. It is more and more difficult for President Putin to fund this war every single day. That has an impact, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki told reporters at her daily news conference.

But what we're also doing is providing a historic amount of military and security assistance, which is what they've been using effectively over the last few weeks to fight this war and push back the Russians, she said.

At the same time, Psaki reiterated that the United States is not calling for regime change.

That has not been our policy and continues not to be our policy. But again, our view is that he is a war criminal and he is somebody who should be looked at by the international system which evaluates war crimes, she said.

The White House is planning another set of sanctions on Russia. This is likely to be announced on Wednesday.

In coordination with the G-7 and the EU, an additional sweeping package of sanction measures that will impose costs on Russia, send it further down the road of economic, financial, and technological isolation, she said.

This will include a ban on all new investment in Russia and increased sanctions on financial institutions and state owned enterprises in Russia and sanctions on Russian government officials and their family members. These measures will degrade key instruments of Russian state power and pose acute and immediate economic harm on Russia and hold accountable the Russian kleptocracy that funds and supports Putin's war, she said.

The US is working to rally the world and taking steps to hold Russia accountable.

It does not mean they're identical. It doesn't mean they'll all happen on the exact same timeline. But that is what we're continuing to work to do from here, she said.

Responding to a question, Psaki said the US is coordinating with the G-7 and the EU, which is about 50 per cent of the global economy, which is still a significant unified entity in holding Russia accountable.

In our conversations, obviously, we had our Deputy National Security Advisor travel to India recently to convey the implementation of our own sanctions, she said when told that major countries like China, India and Brazil are not participating in the sanctions.

Our expectation is not only that other countries will abide by but that they will also be a constructive part of holding Russia accountable, she said.

Observing that Putin is a pariah, Psaki said that this has all been the result of a coordinated global effort to put in place economic and financial consequences that are having an incredible effect.

In addition, we have made it much more difficult because of export controls and other limitations on the type of materials that President Putin and the Russians can purchase to build the technological systems and capacities to fight wars in addition to funding wars. Those are all components that had been the result of the efforts to date, she said.

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Guwahati, May 15: Skipper Sam Curran played the lead act hitting a well-paced fifty and taking two wickets, as Punjab Kings consigned Rajasthan Royals to a five-wicket defeat in their IPL match here on Wednesday.

The target was a mere 145, but Kings made heavy weather of it on a sluggish track here but Curran (63 not out, 41b, 5x4, 3x6) had a calm head and skills to lift them to their fifth win of the season. PBKS made 145/5 in 18.5 overs.

The Englishman received good support from Jitesh Sharma (22, 20b) as the pair added 63 runs in a fluent fifth wicket partnership.

For Royals, it was their fourth defeat on the trot, but they remained second on the table with 16 points with a qualification to the playoffs to boot with.

The Kings’ chase began on a shaky note as they lost Prabhsimran Singh in the first over itself to Trent Boult.

But bigger jolts were in store as an impressive Avesh Khan (2/28) scalped two wickets in the fifth over.

The right-arm pacer first plucked the important wicket of Rilee Rossouw, who played some strong shots in his 13-ball 22, and then jettisoned in-form Shashank Singh for a two-ball naught.

Shashank failed to connect a fuller, straighter one from Avesh while attempting a flick, and the 141 kmph delivery thudded on his bat. Shashank did not even bother to use DRS as he walked away.

Punjab gained some ground through the alliance between Curran and Jitesh, who smoked R Ashwin for two sixes.

Curran too gave a dose of punishment to the veteran offie, lofting him for a wonderful six over extra cover.

But the blossoming stand was snapped by Yuzvendra Chahal (2/31), leaving PBKS at 111 for five in the 16th over.

However, Curran and Ashutosh Sharma (17 not out, 11 balls) knocked off the remaining runs without further drama.

Earlier, despite a well-tuned 48 from local hero Riyan Parag, RR struggled against an array of accurate bowlers on a rather slow pitch, meandering to a sub-par 144 for nine.

R Ashwin (28, 19b, 3x4, 1x6) and Parag (48, 34, 6x4) tried to accelerate during their 50-run stand for the fourth wicket but it could only bring in a temporary momentum for RR.

In fact, lethargy had set in very early in the Rajasthan innings after the early loss of Jaiswal, who chopped a Curran (2/24) delivery back on to his stumps.

Sanju Samson (18), who went past 500-run in a season for the first time in his IPL career, and Tom-Kohler Cadmore (18, 23b) stitched 36 runs for the second wicket but took six overs for it.

But with Curran and Arshdeep finding a hint of swing and maintaining a good line, scoring was not an easy proposition for the RR batters.

Eventually, Samson, who tried a hopping cut off pacer Nathan Ellis, gave a simple catch to Rahul Chahar at point in the seventh over.

Cadmore too returned to the dugout in the next over, as his almighty heave off leg-spinner Chahar (2/26) could not progress beyond Jitesh in the deep.

Those twin dismissals actually paved the way for the best phase in the Royals’ innings as Ashwin and Parag pressed their foot on the right pedal.

Ashwin displayed his batting skills, smashing Chahar for 17 runs in the 12th over that included a sequence of 6, 4, 4 and the first four was a stunning reverse scoop over backward point.

But he could not further extend his innings, lofting Arshdeep to Shashank.

Parag, usually a free-flowing batter, had to curb his flair in front of a hugely adoring home crowd because of the regular fall of wickets at the other end.

But a late cut off Curran that sped to third man stood as a testament of his ability and timing as he also moved past the 500-run mark for the season, before getting trapped in front of the wicket by Harshal Patel.

However, apart from conquering those little peaks the RR batters failed to slip into the top gear consistently.