The United States on Monday declared economic war against Russia after Russia recognized the autonomy of separatists in Ukraine. Russian President ordered the deployment of troops on peace mission to the territory.
US President Joe Biden responded with urgency, declaring financial sanctions against separatists in Eastern Ukraine recognized by Russia, warning of more sanctions, if necessary.
White House Press Secretary, Jen Psaki, announcing the US rejection of the breakaway regions of Donetsk and Lugansk, said that President Biden will issue an executive order to “prohibit new investment, trade, and financing by US persons to, from, or in the so-called DNR and LNR regions of Ukraine.”
The order, according to Jen Psaki, ,will “provide authority to impose sanctions on any person determined to operate in those areas of Ukraine.” Psaki maintained that the US sanctions are separate from the broader Western sanctions on the offing “should Russia further invade Ukraine.”
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken had protested that Russia’s recognition of the separatist regions is a sign that President Vladimir Putin is never interested in diplomacy.
Blinken, in a statement, declared that recognizing the territories’ independence “directly contradicts Russia’s claimed commitment to diplomacy, and is a clear attack on Ukraine’s sovereignty.”
He maintained that “Russia’s decision is yet another example of President Putin’s flagrant disrespect for international law and norms.”
Blinken in a tweet, vowed that the United States “will take appropriate steps in coordination with partners.”