RUSSIAN UCRAINE CONFLICT

                        PRESIDENT BIDEN ADDRESSES UKRAINE CRISIS

 

 

 

The US announces harsh sanctions for what the White House says is Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. 

Russia’s deployment of troops into the two Moscow-backed self-proclaimed republics in eastern Ukraine amounts to the “beginning of an invasion,” the United States said.  Deputy NSA Johnathan Finer told CNN on Tuesday, that Washington’s response would be “swift and severe” with the White House preparing for sanctions. 

 

Earlier, the United Kingdom slapped sanctions on Russian banks and high net worth individuals, while Germany, another of Kyiv’s western allies, halted the approved process for the North Stream and Gas pipeline project.  Moscow has brushed aside the threat of retaliatory measures from the west, with Foreign Minister, Sergei Lavrov saying Russia was accustomed to sanctions.

 

The two self-proclaimed republics Donetsk and Luhansk located in eastern Ukraine have been recognized as independent states by Russia.  The European Union is in a position to decide on fuller sanctions against Russia if it invades Ukraine, which cannot be ruled out according to Chancellor Olaf Scholtz.   He said that Russia’s recognition of the two regions was compatible with international law, and endangered the sovereignty of Ukraine

 

If everyone in Europe starts leafing through history books, where borders used to be “then we have a very unsettling time ahead of us,” Scholtz added.