‘INVASION IS BEGINNING’: US PRESIDENT BIDEN ANNOUNCES SANCTIONS ON RUSSIA

Tue 22 February 2022:

Biden has announced new sanctions against Russia, saying Russian ‘invasion’ of Ukraine is ‘beginning’.

“We’ve cut off Russian government from Western finance, can no longer raise money from the West and cannot trade in its new debt on our markets or European markets Starting tomorrow,” Biden said.

In the days ahead, the US will also “post sanctions on Russian elites and their family members. They share the corrupt games of the Kremlin policies, and should share in the pain as well,” Biden said.

In a televised address Tuesday President said, that the first tranche of sanctions against Russian begins now, and has issued full blocking sanctions on two Russian banks.

In Biden’s address, he insisted that the sanctions were a purely “defensive” act. “We have no intention of fighting Russia. We want to send an unmistakeable message, however,” he said. “We will defend every inch of NATO territory.”

Russia “alone” bears the responsibility for what happens next, he said.

He said that that the “pain” of sanctions should only target Russia’s economy, not the United States’. He spoke about rising gas prices and promised to try to cushion gas prices for American consumers.

Biden emphasised that the United States and its allies “remain open to diplomacy” and reminded Russia that “there is still time to avert the worst-case scenario”.

Biden said that he had “authorised additional movements of US forces” to NATO allies in the Baltic region.

Biden authorises movement of additional troops, equipment

“I have authorised additional movements of US forces and equipment already stationed in Europe to strengthen our Baltic Allies – Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania,” US President Joe Biden has said.

“Let me be clear these are totally defensive moves on our part. We have no intention of fighting Russia. We want to send an unmistakable message that the United States together with our allies will defend every inch of NATO territory and abide by the commitments we made it to NATO,” he told reporters.

Russia likely to be invading Ukraine ‘very, very soon’, analyst says

Putin’s intentions were made “very much clear last night when he basically said … he does not believe Ukraine should be a separate entity from Russia,” Peter Zalmayev, executive director of the Eurasia Democracy Initiative, has said.

“It has been a personal loss and tragedy for Vladimir Putin to see Ukraine go … he wants to bring it back to its knees, under its [Russia’s] control,” Zalmayev told Al Jazeera from Kyiv.

“By recognising these two breakaway states … Putin essentially put an end to the Minsk Agreements, he unilaterally abrogated the agreements himself,” he said. “No matter what he says now, basically he has now de-facto invaded Ukraine by recognising these republics.”

He added: “We’re pretty much looking at the scenario where Russia is going to be invading Ukraine very, very soon.”

SOURCE: INDEPENDENT PRESS AND NEWS AGENCIES

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