Hours after he proclaimed that two Ukrainian regions occupied by pro-Russian separatists would be recognized by Russia as "independent" and "peacekeeping forces" would be moving in, several actions to sanction Russia were initiated. While an announcement from the White House is expected later, sanctions have been initiated by our allies in Europe:
- Germany announced the suspension of certification for the controversial Nord Stream 2 pipeline that would bring Russian natural gas to Germany.
- The UK announced it was placing sanctions on five Russian banks and three "high net worth individuals" in response to Russia's aggression.
- The European Union plans to sanction 27 persons and entities linked to the aggression against Ukraine, and Russian lawmakers who approved Putin's position on invading Ukraine.
The UN Secretary General António Guterres called out Russia's recognition of the two separatist regions as "violation of the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Ukraine." While the U.N. Security Council is hampered by a veto-weilding Russia, the General Assembly may adopt measures to respond to Russia's troop movement into eastern Ukraine. What will be interesting to watch is China's reaction, which has thus far been reserved, but pushing for a diplomatic settlement that Putin seemed to dismiss in his angry statement announcing the "independence" of the separatist regions.
Updates as necessary.
(image: Reuters)
