New U.S. sanctions cover bank, 20 people linked to Russia's Crimea action

U.S. President Barack Obama pauses while making a statement about Ukraine on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington March 20, 2014. REUTERS/Larry Downing

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States on Thursday expanded its sanctions on Russians in response to the annexation of Crimea to include 20 more people, some of whom are close to Russian President Vladimir Putin, a senior Obama administration official said.

It also imposed sanctions on the Russian bank Bank Rossiya, which has $10 billion (6 billion pounds) in assets, the official said. The bank, which is used by many senior Russian government officials, will be "frozen out of the dollar," the official said.