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The diplomatic thermometer has soared with the West drawing a policy of retaliation after the Russian president's speech which it described as aggressive and threatening. As announced by the White House, the Biden administration is gearing up to impose further sanctions against the Kremlin
The US is going on the counter-offensive in a last-ditch effort to prevent a Russian invasion that would inflict heavy casualties.
In particular, White House press secretary Jen Psaki said that sanctions related to Russia's violation of international law will be imposed soon.
Joe Biden plans to impose new trade and economic restrictions on the two Ukrainian provinces, Donetsk and Lugansk, recognized as independent by Putin.
The White House made it known that the US president will sign an executive order activating trade and economic sanctions against individuals.
According to the order, which is expected to be signed, Washington will be able to impose sanctions on anyone acting against the two Ukrainian provinces. As Psaki announced, new measures will be imposed following Putin's statements that "undermine the norms of international law."
"To be clear: the measures will be imposed regardless of the economic restrictions we are preparing in cooperation with allies," Jen Psaki added in her comments.
Biden-Zelensky phone call after Putin's speech
Biden had a phone call with his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky this evening, immediately after Putin's speech in which the Russian president announced the recognition of the independence of the "Donetsk and Lugansk People's Republics" in eastern Ukraine.
According to a White House spokesman, the phone conversation between the two leaders lasted about 35 minutes.
"We discussed the developments of the last few hours with the president of the United States," Zelensky wrote in a Twitter post shortly before the start of the meeting of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine.
In a statement, NATO called it an undermining of Ukraine's sovereignty and sovereignty, an erosion of efforts to find a solution and a violation of the Minsk agreements, to which the Russian side is a signatory.
In 2015, Stoltenberg said, the United Nations, of which Russia is a member, reaffirmed its assessment of Ukraine's independence. "Donetsk and Lugansk are part of Ukraine," Stoltenberg said."
"Moscow continues to fuel conflict in eastern Ukraine by providing financial and military aid to separatists. It is still trying to find a pretext to invade Ukraine again," he continued.
"We support Ukraine's territorial integrity and sovereignty on the basis of the rules set out in international law. Allies call on Russia to choose the path of diplomacy and withdraw its powerful military forces from Ukraine in accordance with international commitments," Stoltenberg concluded.
The EU and its partners will react with unity, stability and determination in solidarity says European Council President Charles Michel.
"The recognition of independence of two Ukrainian provinces is a violation of international law, Ukraine's sovereignty and the Minsk agreements. The EU and its members will react united, decisively and in solidarity with Ukraine," wrote Commission President Ursula von der Leyen in a comment following Putin's speech.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov earlier told Russia's National Security Council that his meeting with his U.S. counterpart Anthony Blinken is scheduled for February 24 in Geneva.
"With your approval, this meeting is scheduled for this week on February 24 in Geneva," Lavrov told Russia's National Security Council, chaired by Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Major international media outlets commenting on Putin's remarks are calling it an aggressive move, with the BBC in particular writing of an open threat and the US-based CNN referring to a message with a strong element of complaint with a whiff of the past. The New York Times, commenting on the diatribe, described Putin's speech as angry, in which he "stepped on history."
Source: Proto Thema
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