For now, Joe Biden has issued an executive order that prohibits any new investment, trade or financing by American persons to, from or within the pro-Russian regions of Donetsk and Lugansk.
The United States announced it would impose new sanctions on Russia on Tuesday after an initial cautious response to President Vladimir Putin’s order to deploy Russian troops to two breakaway areas in Ukraine. “We plan to announce new sanctions against Russia tomorrow in response to Moscow’s decisions and actions today. We are coordinating with our allies and partners for this announcementa White House spokesman told AFP on Monday.
Read alsoUkraine: From the Maidan Revolution to Russian Recognition of Donbass Separatists
The United States on Monday unveiled the first limited sanctions after Moscow recognized the independence of separatist regions in Ukraine and announced the dispatch of Russian forces to “maintain the peacein these territories. In response, President Joe Biden issued an executive order that prohibits any new investment, trade, or financing by U.S. persons to, from, or within the pro-Russian regions of Donetsk and Luhansk in southeastern Ukraine.
Joe Biden informed Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky of these measures, reaffirming “the commitment of the United States» with respect to «territorial integrity of Ukraine“, according to the White House. But a senior US administration official appeared to cast doubt on US firmness when Russian troops enter those territories, as Vladimir Putin ordered them to. “We will observe very closely what they do in the hours and days to come. And our response will match their actionshe said, recalling that Russian forces have been operating secretly in the Donbass for eight years.
Read alsoUkraine: Emmanuel Macron’s mediation to stop the escalation reduced to nothing by the rise in tensions
“Russian forces entering the Donbass would not be newhe added, without mentioning that Russian forces would cross an internationally recognized border into the breakaway region. Washington will continue its diplomatic effortsas long as the Russian tanks are not on the move“, said this senior official who requested anonymity.
New phase
The two separatist territories of Donetsk and Lugansk already have extremely limited relations with the United States. But these sanctions herald a new phase in what could soon become the most dangerous confrontation between the West and Moscow since the collapse of the Soviet Union. The European Union has at the same time made it known that it will sanction “those involvedin Vladimir Putin’s decision to recognize the independence of these Ukrainian territories. British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has also promised sanctions.important“.
Read alsoJean-Louis Bourlanges:Putin hates the best in us, freedom»
Vladimir Putin’s announcement comes at a time when Westerners are warning of the imminence of an invasion of Ukraine, on the borders of which more than 150,000 Russian soldiers, according to Washington, have been waiting for weeks. The White House also insisted that the sanctions announced on Monday were “distinctand ifwould add“to economic measures”fast and severeprepared by Washington and its allies in the event of an invasion.
These sanctions would make Moscow a “pariah for the international community“Warned a senior US executive on Friday. Russia would beisolated from global financial markets and deprived of the most sophisticated technological inputs“, he had threatened. Washington has also repeatedly claimed that the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline, which connects Russia to Germany by sea, would not come into operation if Moscow were to attack Ukraine.