D. Lockhart
Feb 22, 2022
President Biden announced new sanctions on Russia on Tuesday after its moves against Ukraine, saying the actions amounted to a “flagrant violation of international law.”
Western allies to continue raising costs on Russia for invasion
US President Joe Biden and the leaders of France, Germany and Britain have affirmed in a video call this evening their determination to continue raising the costs on Russia for its "unprovoked and unjustified invasion of Ukraine,"
President Biden, French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and British Prime Minister Boris Johnson "underscored their commitment to continue providing security, economic, and humanitarian assistance to Ukraine," the White House said in a statement.
Putin has deployed 'nearly 100%' of pre-staged forces into Ukraine
Russian President Vladimir Putin has now deployed into Ukraine nearly 100% of the more than 150,000-strong force that he had pre-staged outside the country before the invasion, a senior US defense official has said.
"That's our best estimate right now," the official told reporters, speaking on condition of anonymity.
Twelve days after starting its invasion of Ukraine, Russian forces have largely stalled north on Kyiv and still do not control the skies over Ukraine, increasingly relying on missile and artillery strikes.
The official said Russia had fired more than 625 missiles at Ukrainian targets.
The Pentagon ordered over the weekend an additional 500 troops to Europe, which would bring the total number of American forces there to about 100,000, the official said, as the United States seeks to guard against the war's spillover into NATO nations.
The additional troops had largely been expected and are being sent from the United States to support American troops already in the region.
President Biden announced new sanctions on Russia on Tuesday after its moves against Ukraine, saying the actions amounted to a “flagrant violation of international law.”
In imposing economic penalties on Russia, the United States joins European allies in responding to Russia’s deployment of troops into two pro-Russian separatist regions of eastern Ukraine. Biden called Russia’s actions the “the beginning of a Russian invasion of Ukraine.”
Biden said a “first tranche” of U.S. sanctions against Russia would target two financial institutions, Russian sovereign debt and Russian elites and their family members.
“To put it simply, Russia just announced that it is carving out a big chunk of Ukraine,” Biden said. He added that he still hopes diplomacy is possible.
Here’s what to know
Russia’s upper house of parliament gave President Vladimir Putin permission to use military force outside the country, a move that further raised fears of a broader invasion.
In remarks Tuesday, Putin called on Ukraine to forget joining NATO and to accept that Crimea belongs to Russia. Putin said Kyiv’s best path forward is military neutrality.
In Berlin, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said he would halt authorization of Nord Stream 2, the controversial natural gas pipeline between Germany and Russia, for the time being. The move was applauded by the United Nations and NATO allies and cited as part of a united response to Russia.
White House aides are reviewing how the United States could respond if Russia curtails exporting global oil products due to hostilities over Ukraine, potentially triggering a spike in gasoline prices.
