{"id":42890,"date":"2022-02-21T20:06:50","date_gmt":"2022-02-21T20:06:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/uncategorized\/2022\/02\/21\/putin-recognizes-separatist-eastern-ukrainian-regions\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T07:37:06","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T07:37:06","slug":"putin-recognizes-separatist-eastern-ukrainian-regions","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/news\/2022\/02\/21\/putin-recognizes-separatist-eastern-ukrainian-regions\/","title":{"rendered":"Biden to block US trade with eastern Ukrainian regions after Putin recognition"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Russian President President Vladimir Putin has recognized the independence of separatist regions in eastern Ukraine \u2014 a move that will severely ratchet up tensions with the West amid fears that his country could invade Ukraine at any moment and use skirmishes as a pretext for an attack.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Putin\u2019s announcement comes after a meeting of the presidential Security Council and paves the way for Russia to openly send troops and weapons to the long-running conflict pitting Ukrainian forces against Moscow-backed rebels. A 2015 peace deal ended large-scale fighting, but violence has simmered and has seen a spike in recent weeks amid the wider crisis.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Shorly after Putin\u2019s decree, the White House announced President Joe Biden would issue an executive order preventing U.S. trade with the separatist regions and sanctions on any individuals doing business there.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe have anticipated a move like this from Russia and are ready to respond immediately,\u201d said White House spokeswoman Jen Psaki. \u201cPresident Biden will soon issue an Executive Order that will prohibit new investment, trade, and financing by U.S. persons to, from, or in the so-called DNR and LNR regions of Ukraine.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The order, she said, \u201cwill also provide authority to impose sanctions on any person determined to operate in those areas of Ukraine. To be clear: these measures are separate from and would be in addition to the swift and severe economic measures we have been preparing in coordination with Allies and partners should Russia further invade Ukraine. “<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The White House on Monday responded to Vladimir Putin’s decree. (White House statement).<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Biden spoke with Ukraine Volodymyr President Zelensky following Putin\u2019s speech, according to the White House pool report. The call lasted roughly 35 minutes,<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the carefully orchestrated, pre-recorded meeting of the Putin\u2019s presidential Security Council earlier Monday, a stream of top Russian officials argued for recognizing the separatist regions\u2019 independence, though some suggested Putin didn\u2019t have to do it immediately. It came amid a spike in skirmishes in those regions<\/a> that Western powers believe Russia could use as a pretext for an attack on the western-looking democracy that has defied Moscow\u2019s attempts to pull it back into its orbit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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A Ukrainian serviceman fires an NLAW anti-tank weapon during an exercise in the Joint Forces Operation, in the Donetsk region, eastern Ukraine, Tuesday, Feb. 15, 2022. (AP Photo\/Vadim Ghirda)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

With an estimated 150,000 Russian troops massed on three sides of Ukraine, the U.S. has warned that Moscow has already decided to invade<\/a>. Still, the American and Russian presidents tentatively agreed to a possible meeting in a last-ditch effort to avoid war.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If Russia moves in, the meeting will be off, but the prospect of a face-to-face summit resuscitated hopes that diplomacy could prevent a devastating conflict, which would result in massive casualties and huge economic damage across Europe<\/a>, which is heavily dependent on Russian energy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Even as the diplomatic efforts inched forward, potential flashpoints multiplied. Sustained shelling continued Monday in Ukraine\u2019s east. Unusually, Russia said it had fended off an \u201cincursion\u201d from Ukraine \u2014 which Ukrainian officials denied. And Russia decided to prolong military drills in Belarus, which could offer a staging ground for an attack on the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Moscow could use the move to openly send its troops and weapons there. Until now, Ukraine and the West have accused Russia of supporting the separatists, but Moscow has denied that, saying that Russians who fought there were volunteers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As Putin spoke, President Joe Biden met with his national security team at the White House and is being regularly briefed on developments regarding Russia and Ukraine, according to the White House press pool.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg immediately denounced Putin\u2019s decision.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI condemn Russia\u2019s decision to extend recognition to the self-proclaimed \u2018Donetsk People\u2019s Republic\u2019 and \u2018Luhansk People\u2019s Republic,\u2019\u201d he said in a statement<\/a>. \u201cThis further undermines Ukraine\u2019s sovereignty and territorial integrity, erodes efforts towards a resolution of the conflict, and violates the Minsk Agreements, to which Russia is a party.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMoscow continues to fuel the conflict in eastern Ukraine by providing financial and military support to the separatists,\u201d he said. \u201cIt is also trying to stage a pretext to invade Ukraine once again.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The European Union\u2019s top officials say the bloc will impose sanctions against those involved in Russia\u2019s recognition of two separatist regions of eastern Ukraine amid fears of a potential Russian invasion of the country.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and Council President Charles Michel say in a joint statement that the recognition is \u201ca blatant violation of international law.\u201d The statement adds that the bloc \u201cwill react with sanctions\u201d and \u201creiterates its unwavering support to Ukraine\u2019s independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity within its internationally recognised borders.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\t