US President Joe Biden announced the imposition of a first set of sanctions on Russia in response to its recognition of the independence of two separatist regions in eastern Ukraine.
Biden said that the imposition of sanctions came in coordination with America’s allies and friends in the world, stressing that what Russia has done is a “serious violation” of international law and requires a strong response from the international community.
He also warned that the move by Russia marked the beginning of a “military invasion” of its neighbor Ukraine.
The US President stressed that the sanctions will include two Russian banks and senior Russian officials, in addition to imposing measures to cut off parts of the Russian economy from the global financial system.
Other Western countries have imposed sanctions targeting Russian interests.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has suspended the certification process for the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline.
Biden said he would work with Germany to ensure that the “Nord Stream 2” project, which aims to transport Russian gas to Germany and from there to Europe, does not go ahead.
Biden added that he would send more US troops to the Baltic states, which are members of NATO.
Biden predicted in his speech that Russia would launch a large-scale attack inside Ukraine with hundreds of thousands of soldiers, naval units, tanks and cruise missiles.
On Monday, Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered the troops to enter the Donetsk and Luhansk regions, after recognizing their independence.
Putin said the troops would “keep peace” in the two regions – what the US administration called “nonsense”.
Ukraine has threatened that it may cut all diplomatic ties with Russia, complaining that Moscow’s recognition of the independence of the two breakaway regions amounts to aggression.
The British Prime Minister also accuses Putin of denying Ukraine’s “independence” and “making up a pretext for a large-scale invasion”.
In his statement to MPs, Johnson said Britain would target Russian banks: Russia, AS Bank, General Bank, Promsviaz Bank and Black Sea Bank.
The three billionaires are Gennady Timchenko, Boris Rotenberg and Igor Rotenberg.
Johnson welcomed Germany’s decision on the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline.
A British government spokesman said Johnson told Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Monday that he believed a Russian invasion was a possibility in the coming hours or days.
He added that Johnson made it clear, during a telephone conversation, that London was “considering sending more defensive weapons to Ukraine” if it requested it, in addition to the type of sanctions required to be imposed on Russia.
“The two leaders agreed that the West should support Ukraine in the event of a Russian invasion, but that it should continue its diplomatic endeavors until the last moment,” the spokesman stressed.
“The prime minister stressed that regardless of Putin’s decisions, Britain will stand firmly behind Ukraine’s independence and territorial integrity,” he added.
On Monday, Putin signed a presidential decree recognizing the independence of the separatist regions of Donetsk and Luhansk in eastern Ukraine.
Russia has supported separatists in the two regions since 2014.
Putin’s decree stipulated that Russian forces would carry out operations to maintain security in the two regions.
For the past few weeks, Russia has denied its intention to invade Ukraine, accusing the West of creating a crisis.
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