The United States is targeting Russian gold reserves and has warned that gold-related transactions involving the country are strictly prohibited. The move, done in coordination with the European Union and G7, is aimed at further restricting Moscow’s ability to use its international reserves to prop up its currency, thus avoiding the impact of sanctions, and fund President Vladimir Putin’s “brutal war” in Ukraine, officials said. A notice issued by the U.S. Treasury on March 24 states that gold transactions between Americans and Russia are prohibited, citing executive orders signed by President Joe Biden. The notice states that any transaction involving gold related to the Central Bank of the Russian Federation is covered by existing sanctions imposed on Moscow by the United States. “U.S. persons are prohibited from engaging in any transaction—including gold-related transactions—involving the Central Bank of the Russian Federation, the National Wealth Fund of the Russian Federation, or the Ministry of Finance of the Russian …