The U.S. announced new sanctions against Russia Thursday, and Europe soon followed with its own measures to punish Moscow for supporting Ukrainian separatists in the country’s ongoing conflict. What does this mean for Russian-Ukrainian relations? We look at the short-term fallout and potential long-term effects of these latest developments on a volatile continent..
The “ukraine russian update” is a recent news article that discusses the United States and Europe’s sanctions on Russia. The sanctions come in response to Russian military intervention in Ukraine.
WASHINGTON, D.C. — The US and its allies swiftly imposed economic sanctions on Russia on Tuesday in response to what Vice President Joe Biden described as the start of a “invasion of Ukraine,” announcing a series of coordinated punishments as Western officials confirmed that Russian forces had begun crossing the Ukrainian border.
Mr. Biden, speaking from the White House, condemned Russian President Vladimir V. Putin, saying that the immediate consequences of his aggression against Ukraine included the loss of a key natural gas pipeline as well as the cutting off of global financing to two Russian banks and a few of the country’s elites.
“Who in the Lord’s name does Putin believe he has the authority to create new so-called nations on land that belongs to his neighbors?” Mr. Biden spoke on Tuesday afternoon, joining a chorus of world leaders who had previously expressed their displeasure. “This is a blatant breach of international law that requires a strong reaction from the international community.”
Mr. Biden told Mr. Putin that if he did not remove his soldiers and participate in diplomatic attempts to settle the conflict, harsher sanctions would be imposed.
By the end of the day, however, that promise had dimmed, as Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken canceled arrangements to meet with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on Thursday, claiming that holding discussions while Russian soldiers are on the move “does not make sense.”
“To put it simply,” Mr. Biden said, “Russia has proclaimed that it is carving off a large portion of Ukraine,” adding that “he is building up a justification to take further land by force.”
According to NATO, European Union, and White House officials, the global reaction began early on Tuesday, only hours after Mr. Putin recognized the self-declared separatist entities in eastern Ukraine and Russian soldiers began rolling into their territory. Since the start of the conflict, it was the first substantial deployment of Russian forces beyond an internationally recognized boundary.
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President Biden described Russia’s conduct as a “flagrant breach of international law” and announced harsh measures against the country. CreditCredit… The New York Times’ Al Drago
Mr. Putin said at a press conference in Moscow that he had not decided to send soldiers in “right now.” Officials claim, however, that the assault began overnight, only hours after Mr. Putin’s Parliament legally gave him the right to send armed forces overseas. Ukrainians near the territory controlled by Kremlin-backed separatists have already been subjected to days of shelling, and as Ukrainian troops hunkered down in trenches and civilians sought refuge in basements, the country’s military announced that one soldier had been killed and six others injured.
Financial markets around the world wobbled on Tuesday in the wake of the Russian actions and the response from Western governments. In the United States, the news pushed stocks lower, leaving the S&P 500 in correction territory, more than 10 percent below its January peak. Oil prices, which had risen to nearly $100 a barrel in anticipation of a global disruption, settled at $96.84 a barrel, up 1.5 percent.
Mr. Biden, as well as his colleagues in Germany, England, and other European countries, criticized the global sanctions package as harsh. Financial directions from the US to deny Russia access to Western markets and prohibit financial transactions by two banks and the families of three rich Russian leaders are among them.
The Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline has been placed on hold by German Chancellor Olaf Scholz. The $11 billion pipeline between Russia and Germany, which has been finished but is not yet operating, is critical to Moscow’s efforts to boost energy exports to Europe. Sanctions on Russian lawmakers who voted to authorize the use of force, as well as Russian elites, businesses, and organizations, were agreed by European Union foreign ministers and the British government.
Josep Borrell Fontelles, the EU’s foreign policy head, said, “It will hurt a lot.”
In a joint statement, the governments of Japan, Taiwan, and Singapore said they would ban technology exports to Russia in an attempt to put pressure on Mr. Putin by imposing crippling constraints on his aspirations to compete in high-tech businesses.
However, the actions taken in Washington and other global capitals were restricted in scale and fell short of the more comprehensive economic warfare that some — including members of Congress and other pro-Ukraine activists — have advocated in recent weeks.
Mr. Biden and his counterparts have stated that they must strike a balance between the need for swift and harsh action and the possibility of even harsher sanctions against Russia if Mr. Putin escalates the conflict by attempting to seize more territory claimed by the separatists, or even the entire country — a war that could kill tens of thousands of people.
“This is the start of a Russian invasion of Ukraine,” he said, adding that “if Russia intensifies, we’ll continue to intensify sanctions.”
If Mr. Putin’s troops continued to advance, European leaders promised to toughen up. British sanctions, according to Prime Minister Boris Johnson, are just “the first batch.”
The phrase “invasion” was used by Mr. Biden, which was noteworthy. He had already enraged the Ukrainian authorities by suggesting that the repercussions for a “small invasion” would be less severe. Mr. Biden’s choice of language, now that Mr. Putin has sent military into eastern Ukraine, makes plain that the operation is far from modest.
However, since there have been no huge fatalities to far, the issue of how to calibrate the penalties remains unanswered. Jonathan Finer, the president’s deputy national security advisor, warned early Tuesday that the administration may withhold some of the planned sanctions in order to dissuade subsequent, much more aggressive assault by Mr. Putin aimed at capturing the remainder of the country.
Mr. Finer told CNN that “we’ve always envisioned waves of penalties that would unroll over time in reaction to acts Russia actually does, not simply remarks they make.” “We’ve always stated we’ll keep an eye on the situation on the ground and respond swiftly and forcefully.”
It’s also uncertain how far Mr. Putin is willing to go, given his assertion that Ukraine is a fictitious nation that was wrongfully partitioned from Russia. He claimed ominously on Tuesday that he recognized the sovereignty of the so-called Donetsk and Luhansk republics over not only the region they control, but also the far bigger part of Ukraine that they claim, home to 2.5 million people.
Mr. Putin requested that Ukraine pledge never to join NATO, hand up the modern weaponry the West has given it, acknowledge Russia’s annexation of Crimea, and talk directly with the Luhansk and Donetsk rebels, who are considered as illegitimate Kremlin proxies in Kyiv and Western capitals.
Mr. Putin said, “The most significant aspect is the recognized degree of demilitarization of Ukraine today.” “The only objectively controllable aspect that can be seen and responded to is this.”
Nikolai Pankov, a Russian deputy defense minister, stated that Ukraine has assembled 60,000 soldiers to strike Russia-backed separatist pockets in the country’s east, a claim that Ukraine disputes. Mr. Pankov’s comments gave little hope of a peaceful resolution to the crisis between the two nations.
In a televised statement, he declared, “Negotiations have hit a dead end.” “The Ukrainian government has chosen the road of slaughter and violence.”
The introduction of the additional penalties by Mr. Biden was similarly bleak. He claimed the US was implementing “complete blocking” and “total sanctions” on two significant Russian financial institutions, as well as “extensive sanctions” on Russian debt.
“We’ve cut Russia’s government off from Western financing,” he said. “It can’t get money from the West anymore, and it can’t trade in its new debt on either American or European markets.”
He also said that the US will put penalties on Russian elites and their families, in an attempt to guarantee that those closest to Mr. Putin do not escape the financial hardships that are likely to be felt by ordinary Russians.
The penalties issued on Tuesday, according to Daleep Singh, a deputy national security advisor, are “just the sharp edge of the agony we can inflict.”
Mr. Singh referred to the two banks as the Kremlin’s “glorified piggy bank” and a “financier of Russian military activity.” Banks will be unable to do business in the United States or Europe, and their assets in the United States would be frozen.
The sanctions targeting Russian elites and their families, Mr. Singh said, will penalize those who “shared in the Kremlin’s crooked profits, and they will now participate in the pain.”
For weeks, American officials have been concerned that placing harsh penalties on Russia might have unintended implications in the United States, such as rising gas prices. The White House press secretary, Jen Psaki, said that Americans should expect that outcome from the fight with Russia.
Ms. Psaki said the administration was still open to diplomacy when asked about Mr. Biden’s anticipated conference with Mr. Putin. A prospective meeting “remains a possibility,” she added, but only if Russia de-escalates its actions against Ukraine.
There was no apparent evidence of substantial military escalation in eastern Ukraine by day’s end, but scared Ukrainians boarded buses out of rebel territories as the country’s president, Volodymyr Zelensky, encouraged his people to “maintain a cool head” throughout the crisis.
Mr. Zelensky claimed that Ukraine would not cede land, and his defense minister, Oleksiy Reznikov, looked to be preparing his forces for fight.
Mr. Reznikov stated in a gloomy statement broadcast by the military, “There will be a terrible trial ahead.” “There will be setbacks.” You’ll have to go through a lot of suffering in order to conquer your fears and depression.”
The “Ukraine Updates: Biden Joins Europe in Punishing Russia With Sanctions” is a news article that discusses the recent sanctions placed on Russia by the United States and European Union. Reference: has russia invaded ukraine yet 2022.
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