United States President Joe Biden announced new sanctions on Tuesday that will target Russia after Moscow sent "peacekeeping" forces to eastern Ukraine's breakaway regions amid rising tensions of a potential war.
In an address at the White House, the Democratic leader said that the situation was the beginning of Russia's invasion of Ukraine. He said that, in response, he will start handing out sanctions. The U.S. president's decision was closely coordinated with allies and partners and will target two large banks in Russia and its sovereign debt.
Biden's Sanctions Against Russia
Biden said that the sanctions will cut off Russia's government from western financing, which could potentially deal a major blow to its economy. A White House official said that the U.S. president's Tuesday sanctions will be imposed swiftly and severely.
Additionally, the U.S. government was also imposing sanctions on Russia's elite and their family members. A senior administration official also added during a Tuesday phone call that export controls were being discussed to be part of the sanctions, as per CBS News.
The American government has also decided to move its forces that were already stationed in Europe to NATO countries bordering Russia on the West, Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania. The deployment is a response to Putin's refusal to withdraw Russian troops from Belarus. Biden plans to assure countries that they will be protected in case Moscow attacks.
On the other hand, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said that the United States was keeping the "doors to diplomacy" open to Russia should Putin decide to negotiate. The remarks come after Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced he would no longer meet with his Russian counterpart following Moscow's actions.
Per CNN, Psaki added that Blinken's decision made it clear that it was not the appropriate time to convene due to Russia's preparation to invade Ukraine. She said that any summit between U.S. President Biden and Russian President Putin was only agreed to in principle and noted the White House never had any specific plans or timeline.
Violation of International Law
In his remarks, Biden criticized Russia's moves, calling them a "flagrant violation of international law and demands a firm response from the international community." The U.S. president's sanctions were severe and far-reaching, as described by White House aides.
However, Biden's sanctions fell short of the more sweeping economic warfare that some Ukrainian supporters, including some Republican members of Congress, were pushing for the federal government to hand out.
The U.S. president said that his sanctions would prevent Russia from raising money from the West and will not be able to trade in its new debt on American or European markets. But the Biden administration and its counterparts have had difficulties in balancing the need for swift and severe action while keeping from the most severe of sanctions.
If Russian President Putin pushes further with his invasion of Ukraine, Biden said he that will increase the sanctions against Moscow. The U.S. president's announcement came a day after the Russian president recognized two breakaway regions in eastern Ukraine, Donetsk and Luhansk, the New York Times reported.
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