(NEW YORK) — President Joe Biden said the world is witnessing “the beginning of a Russian invasion of Ukraine” after weeks of escalating tensions in the region as he announced new economic sanctions on Russia Tuesday.
Biden’s remarks followed a fiery address from Russian President Vladimir Putin to the Russian public on Monday evening, when the leader announced he was recognizing the independence of two Russia-backed separatist areas in eastern Ukraine’s Donbas region: the self-proclaimed People’s Republics of Donetsk and Luhansk (DNR and LNR) — prompting a set of sanctions from Western countries, including Germany halting approval of a major gas pipeline from Russia.
While the U.S. says some 190,000 Russian troops and separatist forces are estimated to be massed near Ukraine’s borders, Russia has denied any wrongdoing and reiterated its demands Tuesday that Ukraine pledge to never join NATO.
Here’s how the news is developing Wednesday. All times Eastern:
Feb 23, 9:22 am
US sanctions to be met with ‘strong response,’ Russia warns
Russia warned Wednesday that the latest sanctions imposed by the United States “will be met with a strong response.”
“The round of sanctions announced by the United States Administration [already the 101st in a row] affecting the financial sector with the expansion of the list of persons against whom personal restrictions are imposed is in line with Washington’s ongoing attempts to change Russia’s course,” the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement. “There should be no doubt that the sanctions will be met with a strong response, not necessarily symmetrical, but well-grounded and sensitive for the American side.”
U.S. President Joe Biden announced Tuesday the latest sanctions, which he said would target two Russian banks, Russia’s sovereign debt and, starting Wednesday, the Russian elite and their relatives.
Feb 23, 9:06 am
Russia marks Defender of the Fatherland Day
Russia marked Defender of the Fatherland Day on Wednesday.
In a video message, Russian President Vladimir Putin congratulated his fellow Russians on the public holiday and noted the importance of ensuring the country’s defense capability.
“Dear comrades, today ensuring the defense capability of our country remains the most important state task, and the armed forces serve as a reliable guarantee of national security, the peaceful and calm life of our citizens, and the stable, progressive development of Russia,” Putin said.
The Russian leader was seen taking part in a wreath laying ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier by the Kremlin wall in Moscow.
Feb 23, 6:24 am
Ukrainian military begins calling up 36,000 reservists
Ukraine’s military said Wednesday it has begun calling up some reservists in response to an order from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
The military general staff said they will be calling up reservists aged 18 to 60 starting Wednesday.
The secretary of Ukraine’s National Security and Defense Council, Oleksiy Danilov, said Wednesday that the number of reservists being called up was 36,000, most of whom he said already have combat experience.
On Tuesday, while signing a decree to call up some of Ukraine’s military reservists, Zelenskyy emphasized that it was not yet a full mobilization but just the “active reserve,” or troops with combat training.
Zelenskyy said the order was necessary because Ukraine’s military now needs to be at “heightened readiness” for any changes in the situation on the ground with Russia.
Feb 23, 6:17 am
Ukraine to declare nationwide state of emergency
The secretary of Ukraine’s National Security and Defense Council, Oleksiy Danilov, announced Wednesday that a nationwide state of emergency will be declared due to the threat of a Russian invasion.
The declaration must be approved by the Ukrainian parliament before the state of emergency can go into effect for an initial 30 days. The move, which differs from the introduction of martial law, would allow local authorities across the country of 41 million people to put restrictions and heightened security measures in place, such as curfews and limits on movement.
Danilov said the state of emergency would be a “preventative” measure “so that the country preserves its calm, so that our economy works and our country works.” Any restrictions imposed under the declaration would likely vary from region to region, according to Danilov.
“Depending on situation on the ground in a particular area, the local bodies can impose various measures including curfews, only if needed,” Danilov said at a press conference Wednesday. “We won’t make people suffer unnecessarily but we must insure people’s safety.”
He then gave examples of what those restrictions could be: “It can the reinforcing of security around public order and critical infrastructure facilities. It can be certain limits imposed of the movement of transport. It can mean additional vigilance. It can be the checking of various documents for people.”
Danilov noted that the state of emergency would be imposed on all of Ukraine’s territory except for the eastern regions of Donetsk and Lugansk because a special emergency status has been in place there since 2014, when pro-Russian separatists took control of some areas.
Feb 23, 5:33 am
Ukrainian right-wing volunteer battalion mobilizes
One of Ukraine’s far-right volunteer battalions announced Wednesday it is mobilizing to prepare to fight, amid fears of an imminent Russian invasion.
During Russia’s first invasion in 2014, the Ukrainian army was in disarray, prompting civilians to form volunteer battalions — many of them with right-wing ideologies. These highly motivated private armies — some funded by oligarchs — helped stem the fall of eastern Ukraine to Russia-backed separatists.
But once large-scale fighting had ended, the Ukrainian government moved the volunteer battalions back from the front line because they were seen as potentially provocative and problematic.
The so-called Right Sector is one of Ukraine’s most famous volunteer battalions. It’s made up of radical nationalists who played a crucial role in the 2014 revolution. In Russia, the group was made into a propaganda boogeyman.
The Right Sector’s return to the front line in eastern Ukraine will be used heavily by Russian propaganda. But it also shows how worried Ukrainians are getting, especially if more volunteer battalions start mobilizing.
In a Facebook post Wednesday, Right Sector said it is mobilizing its “assault brigade” due to the “high probability of the start of a full-scale invasion by the Russian army.”
“Our unit has already defended Ukrainian independence for 8 years from the occupiers,” the group said. “In the case of a full scale invasion we, as always, will be at the front of the fight.”
Feb 23, 4:29 am
Russia claims 100,000 refugees have fled eastern Ukraine
The Russian Ministry of Defense claimed Wednesday that 100,000 refugees from two Russia-backed separatist areas in eastern Ukraine have arrived across the border in Russia.
The claim was unverified and highly improbable, as it appeared to be part of Russia’s intensifying efforts to spin an image of a major humanitarian crisis in the region to build a pretext for a possible invasion.
Russia-backed separatists have forced civilians living in the areas to evacuate despite the fact that there is no increased threat from the Ukrainian military. While thousands of people have been bused out of the region to Russia, the alleged figure of 100,000 appeared vastly exaggerated.
Russia’s claims have been accompanied by a barrage of false stories and staged videos of alleged attacks by Ukrainian forces, all of which have been blaring across Russian state media in recent days.
Feb 23, 12:03 am
Russia-backed separatists make ‘terror attacks’ claim as Russia continues to build pretext
Russian-controlled separatists are claiming two large “terrorist attacks” took place in their territory Tuesday night, as the separatists and Russia continue to intensify their efforts to create a pretext for a possible Russian attack.
The separatists claimed explosions went off at a TV tower and near a trolley bus depot, and they released video afterward they claim shows emergency workers looking at damage.
The claims are highly suspect, and they came amid a barrage of fake reports of supposed Ukrainian attacks that are being swiftly debunked.
The claims also came as Ukraine released video showing heavy artillery fire from separatists hitting a village called Chastiya — which means “happiness” — on the Ukrainian side of the frontline. The video appears to show rockets striking a house.
Artillery fire also hit a power station nearby yesterday.
It appears the Russian-controlled separatists have intensified their fire onto Ukrainian positions in the hope of stoking return fire and creating an impression of a general escalation.
(NEW YORK) — President Joe Biden said the world is witnessing “the beginning of a Russian invasion of Ukraine” after weeks of escalating tensions in the region as he announced new economic sanctions on Russia Tuesday.
Biden’s remarks followed a fiery address from Russian President Vladimir Putin to the Russian public on Monday evening, when the leader announced he was recognizing the independence of two Russia-backed separatist areas in eastern Ukraine’s Donbas region: the self-proclaimed People’s Republics of Donetsk and Luhansk (DNR and LNR) — prompting a set of sanctions from Western countries, including Germany halting approval of a major gas pipeline from Russia.
While the U.S. says some 190,000 Russian troops and separatist forces are estimated to be massed near Ukraine’s borders, Russia has denied any wrongdoing and reiterated its demands Tuesday that Ukraine pledge to never join NATO.
Here’s how the news is developing Wednesday. All times Eastern:
Feb 23, 6:17 am
Ukraine to declare nationwide state of emergency
The secretary of Ukraine’s National Security and Defense Council, Oleksiy Danilov, announced Wednesday that a nationwide state of emergency will be declared due to the threat of a Russian invasion.
The declaration must be approved by the Ukrainian parliament before the state of emergency can go into effect for an initial 30 days. The move, which differs from the introduction of martial law, would allow local authorities across the country of 41 million people to put restrictions and heightened security measures in place, such as curfews and limits on movement.
Danilov said the state of emergency would be a “preventative” measure “so that the country preserves its calm, so that our economy works and our country works.” Any restrictions imposed under the declaration would likely vary from region to region, according to Danilov.
“Depending on situation on the ground in a particular area, the local bodies can impose various measures including curfews, only if needed,” Danilov said at a press conference Wednesday. “We won’t make people suffer unnecessarily but we must insure people’s safety.”
He then gave examples of what those restrictions could be: “It can the reinforcing of security around public order and critical infrastructure facilities. It can be certain limits imposed of the movement of transport. It can mean additional vigilance. It can be the checking of various documents for people.”
Danilov noted that the state of emergency would be imposed on all of Ukraine’s territory except for the eastern regions of Donetsk and Lugansk because a special emergency status has been in place there since 2014, when pro-Russian separatists took control of some areas.
Feb 23, 5:33 am
Ukrainian right-wing volunteer battalion mobilizes
One of Ukraine’s far-right volunteer battalions announced Wednesday it is mobilizing to prepare to fight, amid fears of an imminent Russian invasion.
During Russia’s first invasion in 2014, the Ukrainian army was in disarray, prompting civilians to form volunteer battalions — many of them with right-wing ideologies. These highly motivated private armies — some funded by oligarchs — helped stem the fall of eastern Ukraine to Russia-backed separatists.
But once large-scale fighting had ended, the Ukrainian government moved the volunteer battalions back from the front line because they were seen as potentially provocative and problematic.
The so-called Right Sector is one of Ukraine’s most famous volunteer battalions. It’s made up of radical nationalists who played a crucial role in the 2014 revolution. In Russia, the group was made into a propaganda boogeyman.
The Right Sector’s return to the front line in eastern Ukraine will be used heavily by Russian propaganda. But it also shows how worried Ukrainians are getting, especially if more volunteer battalions start mobilizing.
In a Facebook post Wednesday, Right Sector said it is mobilizing its “assault brigade” due to the “high probability of the start of a full-scale invasion by the Russian army.”
“Our unit has already defended Ukrainian independence for 8 years from the occupiers,” the group said. “In the case of a full scale invasion we, as always, will be at the front of the fight.”
Feb 23, 4:43 am
Ukrainian military begins calling up some reservists
Ukraine’s military said Wednesday it has begun calling up some reservists in response to an order from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
The military general staff said they will be calling up reservists aged 18 to 60 starting Wednesday.
On Tuesday, while signing a decree to call up some of Ukraine’s military reservists, Zelenskyy emphasized that it was not yet a full mobilization but just the “active reserve,” or troops with combat training.
Zelenskyy said the order was necessary because Ukraine’s military now needs to be at “heightened readiness” for any changes changes in the situation on the ground with Russia.
Feb 23, 4:29 am
Russia claims 100,000 refugees have fled eastern Ukraine
The Russian Ministry of Defense claimed Wednesday that 100,000 refugees from two Russia-backed separatist areas in eastern Ukraine have arrived across the border in Russia.
The claim was unverified and highly improbable, as it appeared to be part of Russia’s intensifying efforts to spin an image of a major humanitarian crisis in the region to build a pretext for a possible invasion.
Russia-backed separatists have forced civilians living in the areas to evacuate despite the fact that there is no increased threat from the Ukrainian military. While thousands of people have been bused out of the region to Russia, the alleged figure of 100,000 appeared vastly exaggerated.
Russia’s claims have been accompanied by a barrage of false stories and staged videos of alleged attacks by Ukrainian forces, all of which have been blaring across Russian state media in recent days.
Feb 23, 12:03 am
Russia-backed separatists make ‘terror attacks’ claim as Russia continues to build pretext
Russian-controlled separatists are claiming two large “terrorist attacks” took place in their territory Tuesday night, as the separatists and Russia continue to intensify their efforts to create a pretext for a possible Russian attack.
The separatists claimed explosions went off at a TV tower and near a trolley bus depot, and they released video afterward they claim shows emergency workers looking at damage.
The claims are highly suspect, and they came amid a barrage of fake reports of supposed Ukrainian attacks that are being swiftly debunked.
The claims also came as Ukraine released video showing heavy artillery fire from separatists hitting a village called Chastiya — which means “happiness” — on the Ukrainian side of the frontline. The video appears to show rockets striking a house.
Artillery fire also hit a power station nearby yesterday.
It appears the Russian-controlled separatists have intensified their fire onto Ukrainian positions in the hope of stoking return fire and creating an impression of a general escalation.
(NEW YORK) — The world will soon experience a steep increase in the number of devastating wildfires as a result of human activity, according to new research released by the United Nations Environment Programme.
Climate change and land-use change are projected to make wildfires more frequent and intense, with extreme fires expected to rise 14% globally by 2030, 30% by the end of 2050 and 50% by 2100, according to the report released Wednesday.
“Wildfires and climate change are mutually exacerbating,” the report states.
Wildfires are made worst by climate change through increased drought, higher temperatures and low relative humidity, while climate change is made worse by wildfires after they ravage “sensitive and carbon-rich” ecosystems such as rainforests.
“This turns landscapes into tinderboxes, making it harder to halt rising temperatures,” the authors wrote.
Extreme wildfire risk will become so widespread that even the Arctic and other regions previously unaffected by wildfires could be in peril of burning, according to the report. In addition, wildlife and their natural habitats will not be spared, pushing many species closer to extinction.
For instance, billions of domesticated and wild animals, including a large portion of the koala population, were estimated to have been wiped out during the bushfires that began in Australia at the end of 2019.
The increase of wildfires will also have social consequences on communities, as the world’s poorest nations will be disproportionately affected, according to the U.N. People’s health will be directly affected by the inhalation of wildfire smoke, and the costs of rebuilding areas struck by wildfires can be beyond the means of low-income countries.
The pollutants from frequent wildfires can also lead to soil erosion, causing more problems for waterways, and leave highly contaminated waste behind, the report states.
Governments are not prepared for the disastrous consequences these infernos will leave in their wake, the authors wrote.
The report calls for a radical change in government spending on wildfires, shifting their investments from reaction and response to prevention and preparedness.
“Because fires are so interdisciplinary and across so many different sectors and impact society, culture and climate and the vegetation, it’s essential that fire [management] actually be pushed within an agenda,” Glynis Humphrey, a fire ecologist at the University of Capetown and one of the authors of the report, told reporters at a press conference Monday.
Governments should adopt a new “Fire Ready Formula,” dedicating two-thirds of spending for planning, prevention, preparedness and recovery, with one-third left for response, the authors wrote.
The report also calls for stronger international standards for the safety and health of firefighters to minimize the risks they face before, during and after operations.
(COPENHAGEN, Denmark) — Duchess Kate arrived in Denmark Tuesday for a rare solo overseas trip and wasted no time showing her fun side.
Kate, 40, whizzed down a slide while visiting the Lego Foundation PlayLab at University College Copenhagen.
“In the spirit of where I am, I had to do it,” a laughing Kate said after she emerged from the slide.
Kate’s visit to Denmark, her second official visit there as a royal and her first overseas tour since 2019, is focused on children and specifically young children ages 5 and under.
The duchess, a mom of three young kids, is touring the country to learn more about how Denmark has become a model for early childhood development, according to Kensington Palace.
Kate has made early childhood development a focus of her royal work. In 2021, she launched the Royal Foundation Center for Early Childhood, which she said is designed to “raise awareness of why the first five years of life are just so important for our future life outcomes, and what we can do as a society to embrace this golden opportunity to create a happier, more mentally healthy, more nurturing society.”
Kate’s trip to Denmark marks the first time she has brought the work of the Royal Foundation Centre for Early Childhood “to the international stage,” according to Kensington Palace.
In addition to visiting the Lego Foundation PlayLab, Kate spent time Tuesday with first-time parents and researchers from the Copenhagen Infant Mental Health Project at the University of Copenhagen and visited the Copenhagen’s Children’s Museum.
Kate’s two-day trip to Denmark is also a chance for the future queen consort to highlight the ties between Britain and Denmark.
Britain’s Queen Elizabeth is celebrating her Platinum Jubilee this year, while Denmark’s Queen Margrethe is celebrating her Golden Jubilee. The two monarchs have both recently been touched by COVID-19, with Queen Margrethe now recovered from a mild case of the virus and Queen Elizabeth currently experiencing “mild, cold-like” symptoms after recently testing positive for the virus, according to Buckingham Palace.
On Wednesday, Kate will receive an official welcome to Denmark from Queen Margrethe and will join the queen’s daughter-in-law, Crown Princess Mary, in a visit to a project that supports women and children affected by domestic violence.
(NEW YORK) — The United States continues to warn that Russia could cross into Ukraine “any moment” amid escalating tensions in the region with the White House set to announce new sanctions on Russia Tuesday.
In a fiery address to the Russian public on Monday evening, Putin announced he was recognizing the independence of two Russia-backed separatist areas in eastern Ukraine’s Donbas region: the self-proclaimed People’s Republics of Donetsk and Luhansk (DNR and LNR) — prompting a set of sanctions from Western countries, including Germany halting approval of a major gas pipeline from Russia.
Biden, in response, issued an executive order banning “new investment, trade, and financing by U.S. persons to, from, or in the so-called DNR and LNR regions of Ukraine,” which “will also provide authority to impose sanctions on any person determined to operate in those areas of Ukraine,” according to White House press secretary Jen Psaki, who said the U.S. “will also soon announce additional measures related to today’s blatant violation of Russia’s international commitments.”
While the U.S. says some 190,000 Russian troops and separatist forces are estimated to be massed near Ukraine’s borders, Russia has denied any wrongdoing and reiterated its demands that the U.S. and NATO bar Ukraine from joining the military alliance.
Here’s how the news developed Tuesday. All times Eastern:
Feb 22, 6:19 pm
White House official vows stronger actions if Putin escalates
Daleep Singh, the White House’s top national security official crafting sanctions, spoke to reporters about the administration’s sanctions against Russians and hinted that this is only the beginning of the United States’ plan to defend Ukraine.
“If Putin escalates further, we will escalate further, using financial sanctions and export controls,” Singh said.
Singh claimed the sanctions will only hurt the Russian economy.
“None of our measures are designed to disrupt the flow of energy to global markets. And we are now executing a plan in coordination with major oil producers and major oil consumers to secure the stability of global energy supplies,” he said.
When asked by ABC News’ Cecilia Vega what it will take to target Putin personally, Singh said he wouldn’t say “exactly what it would take” but added that “no option is off the table.”
-ABC News’ Ben Gittleson
Feb 22, 5:39 pm
Zelenskyy calls up some soldiers from military reserves
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy signed a decree calling up some of Ukraine’s military reservists but said a full mobilization of the country’s military is not needed for now.
Zelenskyy announced his plan on state TV, adding that the soldiers were from the “active reserve” and have military experience.
“They must heighten the readiness of the Ukrainian army for all possible changes in the active situation,” Zelenskyy said.
-ABC News’ Patrick Reevell
Feb 22, 5:02 pm
Blinken calls off meeting with Russian counterpart
Secretary of State Antony Blinken, in a joint appearance from the State Department with Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba, announced that he would not attend a meeting with his Russian counterpart on Thursday as planned.
“Now that we see the invasion is beginning, and Russia has made clear its wholesale rejection of diplomacy, it does not make sense to go forward with that meeting at this time,” Blinken said Tuesday. “I consulted with our allies and partners. All agreed. And today I sent Foreign Minister Lavrov a letter informing him of this.”
Blinken had agreed last week to meet with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on Thursday, provided there was no invasion of Ukraine, but called Putin’s recent comments “deeply disturbing” and placed aggression in the region squarely on Russia despite the Kremlin’s claims.
“Any further escalatory steps by Russia will be met with further swift and severe measures, coordinated with allies and partners,” Blinken added, echoing remarks from Biden.
After meeting earlier with Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin and ahead of his appearance with Blinken, Kuleba went to the White House to meet with Biden where the president updated him on the U.S. response, including the new sanctions, and reaffirmed U.S. security and economic assistance will continue, according to the White House.
Feb 22, 4:40 pm
Treasury Department details US sanctions on Russia
The U.S. Treasury Department has released details of the new sanctions that President Joe Biden announced, including the specific elites who are sanctioned and more details about limits on Russian financial institutions.
A senior Biden administration official told reporters on an afternoon call that while “these are severe costs that we’re imposing today,” the U.S. was choosing to hold off with more severe sanctions as leverage to try to deter a wider-scale invasion of Ukraine.
The official also said “none of the sanctions are designed to disrupt the flow of energy to global markets” and noted the administration deliberately tried to make sure the pain was felt by Russia’s economy, not by the U.S.
The Treasury Department release detailed that it was sanctioning five “Kremlin-connected elites” and two Russian state-owned financial institutions, as well as putting more restrictions on Russian sovereign debt.
The administration official said “sanctions are meant to serve a higher purpose,” which they said was to “prevent a large scale invasion of Ukraine that involves the seizure of major cities including Kyiv” as well as “to prevent largescale human suffering” and “to prevent Putin from installing a puppet government that bends to his wishes and denies Ukraine the freedom to set its own course and choose its own destiny.”
Asked by ABC News’ Chief Washington Correspondent Jonathan Karl about sanctioning Putin, the official said that “all options remain on the table.”
-ABC News’ Ben Gittleson
Feb 22, 3:45 pm
Mix of infantry troops and offensive aircrafts heading to Baltics
Following President Joe Biden’s announcement from the White House of additional Russian sanctions and deployments to the region, a senior defense official offered details on U.S. forces headed to the Baltics.
The official said 800 troops from an infantry battalion task force based in Italy will move to the Baltic region, as well as up to eight F-35 fighters from Germany to “several operating locations along NATO’s eastern flank.”
Additionally, 20 AH-64 Apache helicopters from Germany will head to the Baltic region and 12 AH-64 Apache helicopters from Greece will head to Poland, the official said.
“These additional personnel are being repositioned to reassure our NATO allies, deter any potential aggression against NATO member states, and train with host-nation forces,” the senior defense official said in a statement. “These moves are temporary in nature, and are part of the more than 90,000 U.S. troops already in Europe on rotational and permanent orders.”
-ABC News’ Matt Seyler
Feb 22, 3:12 pm
Biden authorizes more US forces to region
President Joe Biden said Tuesday, “in response to Russia’s admission that it will not withdraw its forces from Belarus,” he has authorized “the additional movements of U.S. forces and equipment already stationed in Europe, to strengthen our Baltic allies, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania.”
Biden did not provide more details other than calling the deployments “totally defensive moves on our part.”
He noted “we have no intention of fighting Russia” and said it was, instead, about sending “an unmistakable message” the U.S. “will defend every inch of NATO territory.”
Echoing Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin reporting that the U.S. has seen Russians “stocking up their blood support supplies,” Biden also used that as an example of Russia’s intended purpose to invade, adding, “You don’t need blood unless you plan on starting a war.”
Pushing back on Russian President Vladimir Putin after Putin essentially negated the idea that Ukraine was a sovereign state, Biden said Tuesday, “the world heard clearly the full extent of Vladimir Putin’s twisted rewrite of history.”
Feb 22, 2:59 pm
Biden addresses impact of Russian sanctions at home
Announcing new economic sanctions on Russia, and calling Russian movements Tuesday “the beginning of a Russian invasion of Ukraine,” President Joe Biden also addressed how Russian sanctions might be felt in the U.S.
In a similar move to sanctions the European Union just announced, Biden said the new sanctions would target two large Russian banks, Russia’s sovereign debt, and, starting Wednesday, the Russian elite and their relatives.
“None of us — none of us should be fooled,” Biden said. “None of us will be fooled. There is no justification. Further Russian assault in Ukraine remains a severe threat in the days ahead.”
Biden said that the sanctions were just the “first tranche” of sanctions in response to their actions and have been coordinated with allies and partners, including with Germany on halting the Nord Stream 2 pipeline, and warned that imposing these sanctions against Russia could come at a cost to Americans as well.
“As I said last week, defending freedom will have costs for us as well and here at home. We need to be honest about that,” Biden said. “But as we do this, I’m going to take robust action to make sure the pain of our sanctions is targeted at the Russian economy, not ours.”
“I want to limit the pain to the American people, fueling at the gas pump. This is critical to me,” he added.
Notably, Biden did not mention personally targeting Putin, which he had previously said he was considering. The president did not take questions from reporters.
-ABC News’ Ben Gittleson and Justin Gomez
Feb 22, 2:29 pm
Biden announces new sanctions on Russia
President Joe Biden announced new sanctions on Russia on Tuesday following Russian President Vladimir Putin signaling he would send “military assistance” to the two Russian-backed separatist regions in eastern Ukraine whose independence Moscow has recognized.
“This is the beginning of a Russian invasion of Ukraine, as he indicated and asked permission to be able to do from his Duma,” Biden said in remarks from the White House. “So I’m going to begin to impose sanctions in response — far beyond the steps we and our allies and partners implemented in 2014.”
“If Russia goes further with this invasion, we stand prepared to go further as with sanctions,” Biden continued.
BREAKING: Pres. Biden: “This is the beginning of a Russian invasion of Ukraine.”
In his first public remarks since Friday on Ukraine, the president said Putin is “setting up a rationale to take more territory by force” — and “to go much further.”
“Who in the Lord’s name does Putin think gives him the right to declare new so-called countries on territory that belonged to his neighbors? This is a flagrant violation of international law and demands a firm response from the international community,” he added.
Feb 22, 1:31 pm
Bipartisan call for harsher sanctions on Russia
Ahead of an update from President Joe Biden on the situation at Ukraine’s border, lawmakers on both sides of the aisle are calling on the president to impose harder sanctions on Russia following criticism that sanctions announced Monday were limited.
Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell said in Kentucky this afternoon he hopes Biden will say that the U.S. is “going to impose the toughest possible sanctions.”
He also said any path forward should ensure that the Nord Stream 2 pipeline not be allowed to ever proceed.
“So as all of this unfolds let me be perfectly clear: The toughest possible sanctions plus no Nord Stream 2. Not now. Not tomorrow. Not ever,” McConnell said.
In an earlier statement, he also called on the U.S. and NATO allies to send support to Ukraine, “including arms,” and warned, “The world is watching.”
Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Bob Menendez, a Democrat, has also called on the Biden Administration to impose “severe sanctions,” telling CNN Tuesday that it’s time to “stop equivocating” on whether or not there has been an invasion.
He also said he believes, though he said he couldn’t disclose intelligence, that more Russian troops have arrived in Ukraine overnight.
-ABC News’ Allison Pecorin
Feb 22, 1:04 pm
Russia says it will evacuate its embassy staff from Ukraine
Russia’s Foreign Ministry announced Tuesday it will begin evacuating its personnel from its embassy in Ukraine in “the very nearest time,” according to Russian state news agencies.
RIA Novosti reported that the foreign ministry has claimed its staff received threats and that Ukraine has not reacted to them, while Ukrainian officials have maintained that Russia is the aggressor on the ground.
-ABC News’ Patrick Reevell
Feb 22, 12:19 pm
Russian forces have moved into Ukraine: NATO Secretary-General
In a press briefing at NATO headquarters in Brussels, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg urged Russia to “choose the path of diplomacy,” as he said that Russia’s aggressive behavior towards Ukraine marks “the most dangerous moment in European security in a generation.”
Stoltenberg said that there is evidence that Russia has already entered Ukraine, going as far as saying that Russia has been in Donbas since 2014 in what he considers “covert” operations. He said Russia has now moved from “covert attempts to destabilize Ukraine to overt military action.”
Russia has deployed over 150,000 troops, fighter jets and attack helicopters in Ukraine and Belarus and along the Russia-Ukraine border, with troops “in the field and ready to attack,” according to Stoltenberg, while NATO allies have deployed more troops in Romania, Estonia, and Lithuania, and more than 120 ships and over 100 jets are on “high alert.” The NATO response force is on “high readiness,” but has not been deployed.
Stoltenberg said that it is “never too late not to attack,” and that options for diplomacy are still available to Russia, even despite Putin’s “threatening rhetoric” in his address to the public Monday. “We are ready to talk,” said Stoltenberg, as NATO continues to look for a “political path forward.”
Russian President Vladimir Putin held a press conference on the situation around Ukraine following the Russian Parliament granting him permission to use military force outside of the country Tuesday.
Putin warned Russia was ready to provide “military assistance” to the two separatist self-proclaimed republics in eastern Ukraine and send troops there “in the case of necessity,” claiming that a “conflict” was continuing on the ground, while Ukrainian officials have said Russia is the aggressor there.
“As a conflict is happening there, in the case of necessity we are determined to carry out of our obligations we have taken on,” Putin said.
In a significant statement, Putin said that Russia recognizes the separatists’ larger territorial claims, which would include the whole of Ukraine’s Donbas region, not just the area they currently hold — declaring the Minsk agreements to no longer exist.
Putin said right now it is “impossible” to resolve the issue around the borders by negotiations “but in the future it will be,” he said.
He added that Western countries should now agree to the “demilitarization” of Ukraine and repeated it would be best if Ukraine publicly renounced its ambitions now to join NATO.
-ABC News’ Patrick Reevell
Feb 22, 11:57 am
Putin granted permission to deploy military force outside Russia
Russia’s upper house of parliament voted unanimously on Tuesday to grant Russian President Vladimir Putin permission to deploy military force outside of the country — in a move that could signal military forces being deployed beyond the Russian-backed separatist regions.
The vote comes after Putin recognized the independence of two separatist regions in eastern Ukraine on Monday, escalating fears the Russian leader is paving the way for a larger invasion.
The Russian leader is currently speaking following the Federal Council granting him permission.
Western leaders have condemned Putin’s decision and warned of imposing more economic sanctions if Russia attacks Ukraine.
-ABC News’ Christine Theodorou
Feb 22, 11:23 am
1st EU package of Russian sanctions to target decision-makers, banks
The European Union has published the proposals of targeted measures that will be formally tabled Tuesday afternoon in response to Moscow’s recognition of the separatist regions in eastern Ukraine — and adds that they have prepared and stand ready to adopt additional measures if needed.
In a statement from the presidents of the European Commission and the European Council on Russian aggression against Ukraine, the group labeled Russia’s actions as “illegal and unacceptable.”
“It violates international law, Ukraine’s territorial integrity and sovereignty, Russia’s own international commitments and it further escalates the crisis. Both Presidents welcome the steadfast unity of Member States and their determination to react with robustness and speed to the illegal actions of Russia in close coordination with international partners,” they said.
The package contains proposals to target individuals involved with the decision to recognize Russian-backed separatist regions, banks financing the move, Russian access to EU markets and trade from the two breakaway regions.
An informal meeting of EU Foreign Affairs Ministers chaired by the High Representative is scheduled for 4 p.m. where the first package of sanctions will be formally tabled later this afternoon. Appropriate bodies will then meet to finalize the package.
-ABC News’ Christine Theodorou
Feb 22, 11:20 am
Biden to deliver afternoon remarks on Russia, Ukraine
President Joe Biden will provide an update on Russia and Ukraine from the White House at 1 p.m. on Tuesday, according to an updated official schedule.
White House press secretary Jen Psaki in an earlier tweet pledged that more U.S. measures would come “today” but did not give any further details on when or how severe they will be.
@POTUS made clear that if Russia invaded Ukraine, we would act with Germany to ensure Nord Stream 2 does not move forward. We have been in close consultations with Germany overnight and welcome their announcement. We will be following up with our own measures today.
Feb 22, 10:02 am
US to impose tougher sanctions on Russia, UK, EU tease same
As Ukraine calls on allies to impose harsher sanctions on Russia in response to Moscow’s recognition of the separatist regions in eastern Ukraine, several Western countries have announced some sanctions to start — and warned more are coming.
The White House is expected to announce tougher sanctions on Russia Tuesday following criticism from some lawmakers that sanctions President Joe Biden announced Monday were limited.
U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson labeled Russia’s actions this morning as a “renewed invasion” and announced the U.K. was sanctioning five Russian banks and three oligarchs, while the European Union weighs another set of sanctions that would ban trading in Russian state bonds and target imports and exports with separatist entities.
Top Russian officials have dismissed the new western sanctions, with Russia’s foreign minister Sergey Lavrov in a state TV interview saying Russia was already “used to” sanctions and that it considers more sanctions would be imposed on Moscow regardless of what it does.
But in what may amount to a huge blow to Russia, Germany announced earlier that it would halt Nordstrom 2, a key gas pipeline, as NATO allies aim to pressure Putin into a pathway to diplomacy. White House press secretary Jen Psaki applauded the move and teased more U.S. measures would be coming “today.”
Feb 22, 8:33 am
Putin denies wanting to recreate Russian empire
Russian President Vladimir Putin denied Tuesday that he is seeking to rebuild the Russian empire.
In remarks ahead of his meeting with Azerbaijan’s president, Putin said he knew his recognition of two Russia-backed separatist areas in eastern Ukraine would spark such “speculation.”
“I have seen speculation that Russia wants to rebuild the Russian empire in its imperial boundaries. That absolutely does not correspond to reality,” Putin said.
The Russian leader insisted that his country recognizes the sovereignty of all former Soviet countries but said the situation with Ukraine is “different” because he claimed foreign countries are using Ukrainian territory to threaten Russia.
“Unfortunately the territory of that country is being used by third countries to create a threat to Russia itself. The issues is only in that,” Putin said, adding that Russia’s cooperation with Ukriane has disappeared due to the conflict that began between the Ukrainian military and Russia-backed separatist forces in 2014, which he described as a “coup.”
Feb 22, 8:28 am
US embassy staff to stay in Lviv each day, in Poland at night
U.S. embassy staff who remained in Ukraine will be in the western city of Lviv during the daytime and stay in Poland each night for security reasons, amid fears of a Russian invasion, acting U.S. ambassador to Ukraine Kristina Kvien told ABC News.
The embassy’s skeleton staff had relocated operations to Lviv from the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv. They returned to Lviv on Tuesday after staying in Poland overnight, a senior U.S. official told ABC News.
Feb 22, 7:40 am
Germany halts approval of pipeline as part of sanctions against Russia
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz announced Tuesday that his country will halt its approval of the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline connecting Germany to Russia, in response to Russia’s recognition of two separatist areas in eastern Ukraine and amid fear of further possible aggression.
“The situation today is fundamentally different,” Scholz said at a press conference in Berlin.
Scholz said he has asked Germany’s Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action to take a step that blocks certification of the Nord Stream 2. That means the pipeline, which is already built, cannot go into operation for now.
The Nord Stream 2 linking Russia to Europe by circumventing Ukraine has been highly controversial, with Germany accused of allowing Russia to construct a geopolitical weapon enabling Moscow to pressure Europe using gas supplies. Last year, Ukraine and the United States were pushing to stop the project but Germany refused.
The decision to halt the pipeline’s certification serves as a major sanction against Russia amid growing fears of an invasion of neighboring Ukraine and immense pressure on Germany to act. Earlier Tuesday, Ukrainian President Zelenskyy called on Germany to include the Nord Stream 2 in Europe’s sanctions on Russia.
“At this stage, in addition to initial sanctions, it is now important to prevent further escalation and thus another catastrophe,” Scholz said. “That is what all our diplomatic efforts are aimed at.”
The move may amount to a huge blow to Russia, which has already stoked a gas crunch in Europe by having its state-owned energy company Gazprom deliver the bare minimum of gas despite severe shortages. Gazprom has continued to do that in recent weeks and could go further, and Germany is particularly vulnerable. During a press conference last week, Scholz repeatedly refused to explicitly say if he would be willing to halt the Nord Stream 2.
However, by suspending the pipeline’s certification, Germany dangles the possibility it could be resumed if Russia doesn’t make further aggressions against Ukraine. It’s unclear how Russia will respond to a continent that it knows is overly reliant on Russian energy.
Feb 22, 7:12 am
Ukraine doesn’t believe Russia will mount ‘large-scale’ invasion
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Tuesday he won’t introduce martial law for now because his government doesn’t believe that Russia will mount a “large-scale” invasion.
“We believe that there won’t be a war, a powerful one, against Ukraine and there won’t be a large-scale escalation from Russia,” Zelenskyy said during a joint press conference in Kyiv with his Estonian counterpart. “If there will be, we will impose martial law.”
Zelenskyy also revealed that he’s considering breaking off diplomatic relations with Russia over its recognition of two Russia-backed separatist areas in eastern Ukraine’s Donbas region. He said a proposal to do so has been put forward by the Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which he said he’s looking at it but has not yet made a decision.
The Ukrainian president also called for Western countries to impose sanctions fast against Russia, saying the situation is developing “very quickly” and that the “first steps” of Moscow’s aggression have already been made. Zelenskyy said sanctions should include fully stopping the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline connecting Russia to Germany.
“The reaction must as quick,” he noted. “Sanctions policy is more a powerful policy which can really have an effect on the probable escalation from Russia. Don’t wait for it to happen, because already the first steps of this aggression are done. We believe that legally the aggression has already been done.”
Feb 22, 7:01 am
Kremlin calls Western reaction ‘predictable’
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Tuesday that the reaction of Western countries to Russia’s recognition of two Russia-backed separatist areas in eastern Ukraine is “predictable.”
“As for the reaction, it was predictable, foreseeable,” Peskov told reporters during a daily call. “We will continue to work and to patiently put across our arguments.”
Peskov also claimed not to know anything about possible deployments of Russian “peacekeepers” into the areas overnight and made a comment that suggested the Kremlin may consider the legitimate territory of the separatists to include large parts of eastern Ukraine currently not in their control.
Separatists in the self-declared People’s Republics of Donetsk and Luhansk only hold about a third of the territory they claim in eastern Ukraine’s Donbas region. The fear is Russia might now back those claims and use it as a pretext to make a larger land grab and destroy Ukrainian forces.
Speaking to reporters Tuesday, Peskov said the Kremlin recognizes the separatist areas “in those borders which they have declared for themselves, when these two republics were declared.”
But when asked to clarify, Peskov added: “In those borders, in which they exist and were declared. And were declared and exist.”
When pressed if that meant within the “present borders” of the separatist areas, Peskov refused to answer, saying he had nothing more to add.
Peskov also said that Russia’s recognition of the areas means the issue of the Minsk agreement is “now off the agenda.” He said any negotiations going forward will focus only on Russia’s demands for security guarantees that Ukraine not join NATO.
Peskov noted that the United States has not contacted the Kremlin since Russian President Vladimir Putin announced Monday his recognition of the two separatist areas as independent, but that Moscow was “open to diplomatic contacts.”
What happens next, he said, is “up to our opponents.”
Feb 22, 6:09 am
Russian parliament ratifies friendship treaty with separatists areas of eastern Ukraine
Russia’s parliament voted Tuesday to ratify a friendship treaty with two Russia-backed separatist areas in eastern Ukraine.
Lawmakers also added an amendment that brings the Treaty of Friendship into force immediately. The treaty includes a mutual defense pact, which establishes that Russian troops will jointly guard the borders of the self-proclaimed People’s Republics of Donetsk and Luhansk, in a breakaway region of eastern Ukraine known as Donbas.
Lawmakers were still discussing the decrees that Russian President Vladimir Putin signed on Monday night recognizing the two areas as independent. Both the upper and lower chambers of Russia’s parliament are expected to vote soon on whether to ratify the orders.
It remains unclear exactly what borders Russia will recognize for the areas. Separatist leaders of the self-declared People’s Republics of Donetsk and Luhansk want to control all of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions in Donbas. But they currently only have about a third, with the rest controlled by Ukraine.
Some Russian officials have suggested Moscow may adopt the position that the separatist areas should include the entire Donetsk and Luhansk regions, thus raising fears that Russian troops will use force to expand the borders.
Feb 22, 5:49 am
Top Russian officials dismiss the West’s sanctions
Top Russian officials on Tuesday morning dismissed new sanctions being imposed by Western countries for Moscow’s recognition of the separatist areas in eastern Ukraine.
In an interview with state-owned television channel Russia-24, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said the country was already “used to” sanctions and that more would be imposed regardless of what Moscow does.
“That our [Western] colleagues are trying to push the blame on Russia for the failure of the Minsk agreements, we also understand,” Lavrov said. “Our European, American, British colleagues won’t stop and won’t calm down as long as they haven’t exhausted their possibilities for the so-called punishment of Russia.”
“They already threaten all possible sanctions. Hellish, or as they say there, ‘the mother of all sanctions,'” he added. “Well, we’re used to this. The president already noted our position, we know that sanctions will be introduced all the same, in any case. With a basis, without a basis.”
Meanwhile, the speaker of Russia’s parliament, Vyacheslav Volodin, echoed Lavrov’s sentiments during an ongoing session of the lower house, known as the State Duma.
“Yes, sanctions hinder our development. But they would happen anyway. They would happen anyway even if that decision hadn’t been taken,” Volodin told lawmakers, adding that there are “more important problems.”
“Yesterday, our president stopped a war,” he said. “It’s not a question of territory — it’s a question of the lives of millions of citizens.”
Feb 22, 5:10 am
US embassy staff return to Ukraine after spending night in Poland
U.S. embassy staff who remained in Ukraine will return to the country on Tuesday after spending the night in Poland amid fears of a Russian invasion, a senior U.S. official told ABC News.
Personnel will return to the city of Lviv in western Ukraine, where they had relocated operations from the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv. But they are poised to move back to Poland at any point, the official said.
Feb 22, 4:58 am
Russia-backed separatists claim Ukraine is still staging attacks
Russia-backed separatists in eastern Ukraine have continued to accuse Ukrainian government forces of attacks.
The separatists in a breakaway region known as Donbas made another unverified claim Tuesday morning that three civilians were killed by a roadside bomb.
Separatist leaders posted photographs of a burned-out minivan on a road in their territory that they alleged was the vehicle blown up by a Ukrainian “diversionary group.” The claim is unverified and resembles other allegations that have been rapidly debunked.
Meanwhile, a top separatist military commander accused Ukrainian government forces of continuing to shell the area.
The latest claims raise the possibility that Russia is still building a pretext to launch an attack on Ukrainian government troops, even after recognizing the self-proclaimed People’s Republics of Donetsk and Luhansk as independent.
Feb 22, 4:33 am
‘World cannot be silent,’ Ukrainian defense minister warns
Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov took to Twitter early Tuesday to dismiss Moscow’s recognition of the Russian-controlled breakaway areas in eastern Ukraine, saying the move amounts only to a recognition of the Kremlin’s “own aggression.”
“We remain confident and calm,” Reznikov tweeted. “We are ready and able to defend ourselves and our sovereignty.”
But he also issued a warning: “World cannot be silent.”
“Sanctions?” he tweeted. “Another brick in the wall? New Berlin Wall?”
Feb 22, 2:54 am
Putin’s recognition of separatists’ independence is ‘shameful act,’ Blinken says
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken early Tuesday called Russia’s move to recognize separatist regions in Ukraine as independent a “predictable” act.
“Russia’s move to recognize the ‘independence’ of so-called republics controlled by its own proxies is a predictable, shameful act,” he said on Twitter.
Blinken is scheduled to meet Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba in Washington on Tuesday.
Feb 22, 2:03 am
Blinken speaks with Ukraine’s Kuleba ahead of Tuesday meeting
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken spoke by phone on Monday with Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba, noting the Biden administration’s “swift response” to Russia’s decision to recognize Ukraine’s separatists’ regions as independent.
“They discussed the strong measures we announced today in response and reiterated that additional steps would be forthcoming,” State Department spokesperson Ned Price said in a statement late Monday.
Blinken and Kuleba are scheduled to meet on Tuesday in Washington.
Kuleba earlier said he spoke with Blinken about sanctions.
“I underscored the need to impose tough sanctions on Russia in response to its illegal actions,” Kuleba said on Twitter.
Feb 21, 11:58 pm
Ukrainian envoy says UN is infected with ‘virus’ spread by Kremlin
After the Russian envoy spoke at the U.N. Security Council’s emergency meeting Tuesday night, Ukraine’s envoy began his remarks by saying he was afraid to take off his mask not because of COVID-19 but “because of the virus that has so far no vaccine — the virus that hates the United Nations and the virus that is spread by the Kremlin.”
That “virus” has infected the U.N. and threatens to kill it, Ambassador Sergiy Kyslytsya said in a stark warning.
“The United Nations is sick, that’s a matter of fact,” he said. “It’s been hit by the virus spread by the Kremlin. Will it succumb to this virus? It is in the hands of the membership.”
Kyslytsya warned it’s not just the U.N. that he believes is under threat. During his remarks, he held up a paper that had a copy of the Kremlin’s decree recognizing Russian-backed “breakaway” provinces from Georgia in 2008 and the decree issued Monday recognizing the separatist Donetsk and Luhansk, showing how they’re almost the exact same.
“Copy, paste. Copy, paste. No creativity whatsoever. The copying machine in the Kremlin works very well. Who is next among the members of the United Nations? The question is open,” he said.
Kyslytsya demanded that Russia “cancel” and remove “additional Russian occupation troops” in Ukrainian territory, and he insisted, “The internationally recognized borders of Ukraine have been and will remain unchangeable regardless of any statements and actions by the Russian Federation.”
“We are committed to a peaceful and diplomatic path, and we will stay firmly on it. We are on our land. We are not afraid of anything or anyone. We owe nothing to anyone, and we will not give away anything to anyone,” he said.
Feb 21, 11:48 pm
Ukraine highlights importance of global response to Russia
Ukraine called for “painful sanctions” against Russia in a statement released by its foreign ministry, noting that how the world responds may greatly influence Russia’s next move.
“Further decisions and steps of the Russian Federation largely depend on the world’s reaction to today’s events,” the statement read. “Therefore, we insist on imposing painful sanctions against Russia in order to send a clear signal of the inadmissibility of further escalation. It is time to act to end Russia’s aggression and restore peace and stability in Europe.”
The country reiterated that it is ready to defend itself, stating that it “understands Russia’s intentions and its desire to provoke Ukraine. We take into account all risks and do not succumb to provocations.”
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba is currently in Washington and meets with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Tuesday.
Feb 21, 11:21 pm
Russian envoy dismisses criticisms, blames Ukraine in Security Council meeting
In remarks during an emergency U.N. Security Council meeting Tuesday, Russian Ambassador Vasily Nebenzia dismissed “highly emotional” criticisms of Russia and said nothing has changed on the ground, while also blaming Ukraine for the decisions President Vladimir Putin’s decisions made earlier in the day.
Nebenzia dismissed “unfounded panic about an impending Russian invasion of Ukraine” — as Russian troops prepare to come across the border — and painted Russia as a pacifist hero that welcomed refugees who were forced onto buses by Russian-led separatists.
“We’ve just heard a number of highly emotional statements, categorical assessments, and far-reaching conclusions,” he said during the emergency meeting. “I’ll leave the direct verbal assaults against us unanswered. Now it’s important to focus on how to avoid war and how to force Ukraine to stop the shelling and provocations against Donetsk and Luhansk.”
Russian-controlled separatists are responsible for the shelling and for staging the provocations, but Nebenzia worked to portray Ukraine as the aggressor and Russia as the force preventing war, despite it essentially seizing Ukrainian territory.
(NEW YORK) — President Joe Biden said the world is witnessing “the beginning of a Russian invasion of Ukraine” after weeks of escalating tensions in the region as he announced new economic sanctions on Russia Tuesday.
Biden’s remarks followed a fiery address from Russian President Vladimir Putin to the Russian public on Monday evening, when the leader announced he was recognizing the independence of two Russia-backed separatist areas in eastern Ukraine’s Donbas region: the self-proclaimed People’s Republics of Donetsk and Luhansk (DNR and LNR) — prompting a set of sanctions from Western countries, including Germany halting approval of a major gas pipeline from Russia.
While the U.S. says some 190,000 Russian troops and separatist forces are estimated to be massed near Ukraine’s borders, Russia has denied any wrongdoing and reiterated its demands Tuesday that Ukraine pledge to never join NATO.
Here’s how the news is developing Wednesday. All times Eastern:
Feb 23, 5:33 am
Ukrainian right-wing volunteer battalion mobilizes
One of Ukraine’s far-right volunteer battalions announced Wednesday it is mobilizing to prepare to fight, amid fears of an imminent Russian invasion.
During Russia’s first invasion in 2014, the Ukrainian army was in disarray, prompting civilians to form volunteer battalions — many of them with right-wing ideologies. These highly motivated private armies — some funded by oligarchs — helped stem the fall of eastern Ukraine to Russia-backed separatists.
But once large-scale fighting had ended, the Ukrainian government moved the volunteer battalions back from the front line because they were seen as potentially provocative and problematic.
The so-called Right Sector is one of Ukraine’s most famous volunteer battalions. It’s made up of radical nationalists who played a crucial role in the 2014 revolution. In Russia, the group was made into a propaganda boogeyman.
The Right Sector’s return to the front line in eastern Ukraine will be used heavily by Russian propaganda. But it also shows how worried Ukrainians are getting, especially if more volunteer battalions start mobilizing.
In a Facebook post Wednesday, Right Sector said it is mobilizing its “assault brigade” due to the “high probability of the start of a full-scale invasion by the Russian army.”
“Our unit has already defended Ukrainian independence for 8 years from the occupiers,” the group said. “In the case of a full scale invasion we, as always, will be at the front of the fight.”
Feb 23, 4:43 am
Ukrainian military begins calling up some reservists
Ukraine’s military said Wednesday it has begun calling up some reservists in response to an order from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
The military general staff said they will be calling up reservists aged 18 to 60 starting Wednesday.
On Tuesday, while signing a decree to call up some of Ukraine’s military reservists, Zelenskyy emphasized that it was not yet a full mobilization but just the “active reserve,” or troops with combat training.
Zelenskyy said the order was necessary because Ukraine’s military now needs to be at “heightened readiness” for any changes changes in the situation on the ground with Russia.
Feb 23, 4:29 am
Russia claims 100,000 refugees have fled eastern Ukraine
The Russian Ministry of Defense claimed Wednesday that 100,000 refugees from two Russia-backed separatist areas in eastern Ukraine have arrived across the border in Russia.
The claim was unverified and highly improbable, as it appeared to be part of Russia’s intensifying efforts to spin an image of a major humanitarian crisis in the region to build a pretext for a possible invasion.
Russia-backed separatists have forced civilians living in the areas to evacuate despite the fact that there is no increased threat from the Ukrainian military. While thousands of people have been bused out of the region to Russia, the alleged figure of 100,000 appeared vastly exaggerated.
Russia’s claims have been accompanied by a barrage of false stories and staged videos of alleged attacks by Ukrainian forces, all of which have been blaring across Russian state media in recent days.
Feb 23, 12:03 am
Russia-backed separatists make ‘terror attacks’ claim as Russia continues to build pretext
Russian-controlled separatists are claiming two large “terrorist attacks” took place in their territory Tuesday night, as the separatists and Russia continue to intensify their efforts to create a pretext for a possible Russian attack.
The separatists claimed explosions went off at a TV tower and near a trolley bus depot, and they released video afterward they claim shows emergency workers looking at damage.
The claims are highly suspect, and they came amid a barrage of fake reports of supposed Ukrainian attacks that are being swiftly debunked.
The claims also came as Ukraine released video showing heavy artillery fire from separatists hitting a village called Chastiya — which means “happiness” — on the Ukrainian side of the frontline. The video appears to show rockets striking a house.
Artillery fire also hit a power station nearby yesterday.
It appears the Russian-controlled separatists have intensified their fire onto Ukrainian positions in the hope of stoking return fire and creating an impression of a general escalation.
(NEW YORK) — The United States continues to warn that Russia could cross into Ukraine “any moment” amid escalating tensions in the region with the White House set to announce new sanctions on Russia Tuesday.
In a fiery address to the Russian public on Monday evening, Putin announced he was recognizing the independence of two Russia-backed separatist areas in eastern Ukraine’s Donbas region: the self-proclaimed People’s Republics of Donetsk and Luhansk (DNR and LNR) — prompting a set of sanctions from Western countries, including Germany halting approval of a major gas pipeline from Russia.
Biden, in response, issued an executive order banning “new investment, trade, and financing by U.S. persons to, from, or in the so-called DNR and LNR regions of Ukraine,” which “will also provide authority to impose sanctions on any person determined to operate in those areas of Ukraine,” according to White House press secretary Jen Psaki, who said the U.S. “will also soon announce additional measures related to today’s blatant violation of Russia’s international commitments.”
While the U.S. says some 190,000 Russian troops and separatist forces are estimated to be massed near Ukraine’s borders, Russia has denied any wrongdoing and reiterated its demands that the U.S. and NATO bar Ukraine from joining the military alliance.
Here’s how the news is developing. All times Eastern:
Feb 22, 6:19 pm
White House official vows stronger actions if Putin escalates
Daleep Singh, the White House’s top national security official crafting sanctions, spoke to reporters about the administration’s sanctions against Russians and hinted that this is only the beginning of the United States’ plan to defend Ukraine.
“If Putin escalates further, we will escalate further, using financial sanctions and export controls,” Singh said.
Singh claimed the sanctions will only hurt the Russian economy.
“None of our measures are designed to disrupt the flow of energy to global markets. And we are now executing a plan in coordination with major oil producers and major oil consumers to secure the stability of global energy supplies,” he said.
When asked by ABC News’ Cecilia Vega what it will take to target Putin personally, Singh said he wouldn’t say “exactly what it would take” but added that “no option is off the table.”
-ABC News’ Ben Gittleson
Feb 22, 5:39 pm
Zelenskyy calls up some soldiers from military reserves
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy signed a decree calling up some of Ukraine’s military reservists but said a full mobilization of the country’s military is not needed for now.
Zelenskyy announced his plan on state TV, adding that the soldiers were from the “active reserve” and have military experience.
“They must heighten the readiness of the Ukrainian army for all possible changes in the active situation,” Zelenskyy said.
-ABC News’ Patrick Reevell
Feb 22, 5:02 pm
Blinken calls off meeting with Russian counterpart
Secretary of State Antony Blinken, in a joint appearance from the State Department with Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba, announced that he would not attend a meeting with his Russian counterpart on Thursday as planned.
“Now that we see the invasion is beginning, and Russia has made clear its wholesale rejection of diplomacy, it does not make sense to go forward with that meeting at this time,” Blinken said Tuesday. “I consulted with our allies and partners. All agreed. And today I sent Foreign Minister Lavrov a letter informing him of this.”
Blinken had agreed last week to meet with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on Thursday, provided there was no invasion of Ukraine, but called Putin’s recent comments “deeply disturbing” and placed aggression in the region squarely on Russia despite the Kremlin’s claims.
“Any further escalatory steps by Russia will be met with further swift and severe measures, coordinated with allies and partners,” Blinken added, echoing remarks from Biden.
After meeting earlier with Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin and ahead of his appearance with Blinken, Kuleba went to the White House to meet with Biden where the president updated him on the U.S. response, including the new sanctions, and reaffirmed U.S. security and economic assistance will continue, according to the White House.
Feb 22, 4:40 pm
Treasury Department details US sanctions on Russia
The U.S. Treasury Department has released details of the new sanctions that President Joe Biden announced, including the specific elites who are sanctioned and more details about limits on Russian financial institutions.
A senior Biden administration official told reporters on an afternoon call that while “these are severe costs that we’re imposing today,” the U.S. was choosing to hold off with more severe sanctions as leverage to try to deter a wider-scale invasion of Ukraine.
The official also said “none of the sanctions are designed to disrupt the flow of energy to global markets” and noted the administration deliberately tried to make sure the pain was felt by Russia’s economy, not by the U.S.
The Treasury Department release detailed that it was sanctioning five “Kremlin-connected elites” and two Russian state-owned financial institutions, as well as putting more restrictions on Russian sovereign debt.
The administration official said “sanctions are meant to serve a higher purpose,” which they said was to “prevent a large scale invasion of Ukraine that involves the seizure of major cities including Kyiv” as well as “to prevent largescale human suffering” and “to prevent Putin from installing a puppet government that bends to his wishes and denies Ukraine the freedom to set its own course and choose its own destiny.”
Asked by ABC News’ Chief Washington Correspondent Jonathan Karl about sanctioning Putin, the official said that “all options remain on the table.”
-ABC News’ Ben Gittleson
Feb 22, 3:45 pm
Mix of infantry troops and offensive aircrafts heading to Baltics
Following President Joe Biden’s announcement from the White House of additional Russian sanctions and deployments to the region, a senior defense official offered details on U.S. forces headed to the Baltics.
The official said 800 troops from an infantry battalion task force based in Italy will move to the Baltic region, as well as up to eight F-35 fighters from Germany to “several operating locations along NATO’s eastern flank.”
Additionally, 20 AH-64 Apache helicopters from Germany will head to the Baltic region and 12 AH-64 Apache helicopters from Greece will head to Poland, the official said.
“These additional personnel are being repositioned to reassure our NATO allies, deter any potential aggression against NATO member states, and train with host-nation forces,” the senior defense official said in a statement. “These moves are temporary in nature, and are part of the more than 90,000 U.S. troops already in Europe on rotational and permanent orders.”
-ABC News’ Matt Seyler
Feb 22, 3:12 pm
Biden authorizes more US forces to region
President Joe Biden said Tuesday, “in response to Russia’s admission that it will not withdraw its forces from Belarus,” he has authorized “the additional movements of U.S. forces and equipment already stationed in Europe, to strengthen our Baltic allies, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania.”
Biden did not provide more details other than calling the deployments “totally defensive moves on our part.”
He noted “we have no intention of fighting Russia” and said it was, instead, about sending “an unmistakable message” the U.S. “will defend every inch of NATO territory.”
Echoing Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin reporting that the U.S. has seen Russians “stocking up their blood support supplies,” Biden also used that as an example of Russia’s intended purpose to invade, adding, “You don’t need blood unless you plan on starting a war.”
Pushing back on Russian President Vladimir Putin after Putin essentially negated the idea that Ukraine was a sovereign state, Biden said Tuesday, “the world heard clearly the full extent of Vladimir Putin’s twisted rewrite of history.”
Feb 22, 2:59 pm
Biden addresses impact of Russian sanctions at home
Announcing new economic sanctions on Russia, and calling Russian movements Tuesday “the beginning of a Russian invasion of Ukraine,” President Joe Biden also addressed how Russian sanctions might be felt in the U.S.
In a similar move to sanctions the European Union just announced, Biden said the new sanctions would target two large Russian banks, Russia’s sovereign debt, and, starting Wednesday, the Russian elite and their relatives.
“None of us — none of us should be fooled,” Biden said. “None of us will be fooled. There is no justification. Further Russian assault in Ukraine remains a severe threat in the days ahead.”
Biden said that the sanctions were just the “first tranche” of sanctions in response to their actions and have been coordinated with allies and partners, including with Germany on halting the Nord Stream 2 pipeline, and warned that imposing these sanctions against Russia could come at a cost to Americans as well.
“As I said last week, defending freedom will have costs for us as well and here at home. We need to be honest about that,” Biden said. “But as we do this, I’m going to take robust action to make sure the pain of our sanctions is targeted at the Russian economy, not ours.”
“I want to limit the pain to the American people, fueling at the gas pump. This is critical to me,” he added.
Notably, Biden did not mention personally targeting Putin, which he had previously said he was considering. The president did not take questions from reporters.
-ABC News’ Ben Gittleson and Justin Gomez
Feb 22, 2:29 pm
Biden announces new sanctions on Russia
President Joe Biden announced new sanctions on Russia on Tuesday following Russian President Vladimir Putin signaling he would send “military assistance” to the two Russian-backed separatist regions in eastern Ukraine whose independence Moscow has recognized.
“This is the beginning of a Russian invasion of Ukraine, as he indicated and asked permission to be able to do from his Duma,” Biden said in remarks from the White House. “So I’m going to begin to impose sanctions in response — far beyond the steps we and our allies and partners implemented in 2014.”
“If Russia goes further with this invasion, we stand prepared to go further as with sanctions,” Biden continued.
BREAKING: Pres. Biden: “This is the beginning of a Russian invasion of Ukraine.”
In his first public remarks since Friday on Ukraine, the president said Putin is “setting up a rationale to take more territory by force” — and “to go much further.”
“Who in the Lord’s name does Putin think gives him the right to declare new so-called countries on territory that belonged to his neighbors? This is a flagrant violation of international law and demands a firm response from the international community,” he added.
Feb 22, 1:31 pm
Bipartisan call for harsher sanctions on Russia
Ahead of an update from President Joe Biden on the situation at Ukraine’s border, lawmakers on both sides of the aisle are calling on the president to impose harder sanctions on Russia following criticism that sanctions announced Monday were limited.
Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell said in Kentucky this afternoon he hopes Biden will say that the U.S. is “going to impose the toughest possible sanctions.”
He also said any path forward should ensure that the Nord Stream 2 pipeline not be allowed to ever proceed.
“So as all of this unfolds let me be perfectly clear: The toughest possible sanctions plus no Nord Stream 2. Not now. Not tomorrow. Not ever,” McConnell said.
In an earlier statement, he also called on the U.S. and NATO allies to send support to Ukraine, “including arms,” and warned, “The world is watching.”
Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Bob Menendez, a Democrat, has also called on the Biden Administration to impose “severe sanctions,” telling CNN Tuesday that it’s time to “stop equivocating” on whether or not there has been an invasion.
He also said he believes, though he said he couldn’t disclose intelligence, that more Russian troops have arrived in Ukraine overnight.
-ABC News’ Allison Pecorin
Feb 22, 1:04 pm
Russia says it will evacuate its embassy staff from Ukraine
Russia’s Foreign Ministry announced Tuesday it will begin evacuating its personnel from its embassy in Ukraine in “the very nearest time,” according to Russian state news agencies.
RIA Novosti reported that the foreign ministry has claimed its staff received threats and that Ukraine has not reacted to them, while Ukrainian officials have maintained that Russia is the aggressor on the ground.
-ABC News’ Patrick Reevell
Feb 22, 12:19 pm
Russian forces have moved into Ukraine: NATO Secretary-General
In a press briefing at NATO headquarters in Brussels, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg urged Russia to “choose the path of diplomacy,” as he said that Russia’s aggressive behavior towards Ukraine marks “the most dangerous moment in European security in a generation.”
Stoltenberg said that there is evidence that Russia has already entered Ukraine, going as far as saying that Russia has been in Donbas since 2014 in what he considers “covert” operations. He said Russia has now moved from “covert attempts to destabilize Ukraine to overt military action.”
Russia has deployed over 150,000 troops, fighter jets and attack helicopters in Ukraine and Belarus and along the Russia-Ukraine border, with troops “in the field and ready to attack,” according to Stoltenberg, while NATO allies have deployed more troops in Romania, Estonia, and Lithuania, and more than 120 ships and over 100 jets are on “high alert.” The NATO response force is on “high readiness,” but has not been deployed.
Stoltenberg said that it is “never too late not to attack,” and that options for diplomacy are still available to Russia, even despite Putin’s “threatening rhetoric” in his address to the public Monday. “We are ready to talk,” said Stoltenberg, as NATO continues to look for a “political path forward.”
Russian President Vladimir Putin held a press conference on the situation around Ukraine following the Russian Parliament granting him permission to use military force outside of the country Tuesday.
Putin warned Russia was ready to provide “military assistance” to the two separatist self-proclaimed republics in eastern Ukraine and send troops there “in the case of necessity,” claiming that a “conflict” was continuing on the ground, while Ukrainian officials have said Russia is the aggressor there.
“As a conflict is happening there, in the case of necessity we are determined to carry out of our obligations we have taken on,” Putin said.
In a significant statement, Putin said that Russia recognizes the separatists’ larger territorial claims, which would include the whole of Ukraine’s Donbas region, not just the area they currently hold — declaring the Minsk agreements to no longer exist.
Putin said right now it is “impossible” to resolve the issue around the borders by negotiations “but in the future it will be,” he said.
He added that Western countries should now agree to the “demilitarization” of Ukraine and repeated it would be best if Ukraine publicly renounced its ambitions now to join NATO.
-ABC News’ Patrick Reevell
Feb 22, 11:57 am
Putin granted permission to deploy military force outside Russia
Russia’s upper house of parliament voted unanimously on Tuesday to grant Russian President Vladimir Putin permission to deploy military force outside of the country — in a move that could signal military forces being deployed beyond the Russian-backed separatist regions.
The vote comes after Putin recognized the independence of two separatist regions in eastern Ukraine on Monday, escalating fears the Russian leader is paving the way for a larger invasion.
The Russian leader is currently speaking following the Federal Council granting him permission.
Western leaders have condemned Putin’s decision and warned of imposing more economic sanctions if Russia attacks Ukraine.
-ABC News’ Christine Theodorou
Feb 22, 11:23 am
1st EU package of Russian sanctions to target decision-makers, banks
The European Union has published the proposals of targeted measures that will be formally tabled Tuesday afternoon in response to Moscow’s recognition of the separatist regions in eastern Ukraine — and adds that they have prepared and stand ready to adopt additional measures if needed.
In a statement from the presidents of the European Commission and the European Council on Russian aggression against Ukraine, the group labeled Russia’s actions as “illegal and unacceptable.”
“It violates international law, Ukraine’s territorial integrity and sovereignty, Russia’s own international commitments and it further escalates the crisis. Both Presidents welcome the steadfast unity of Member States and their determination to react with robustness and speed to the illegal actions of Russia in close coordination with international partners,” they said.
The package contains proposals to target individuals involved with the decision to recognize Russian-backed separatist regions, banks financing the move, Russian access to EU markets and trade from the two breakaway regions.
An informal meeting of EU Foreign Affairs Ministers chaired by the High Representative is scheduled for 4 p.m. where the first package of sanctions will be formally tabled later this afternoon. Appropriate bodies will then meet to finalize the package.
-ABC News’ Christine Theodorou
Feb 22, 11:20 am
Biden to deliver afternoon remarks on Russia, Ukraine
President Joe Biden will provide an update on Russia and Ukraine from the White House at 1 p.m. on Tuesday, according to an updated official schedule.
White House press secretary Jen Psaki in an earlier tweet pledged that more U.S. measures would come “today” but did not give any further details on when or how severe they will be.
@POTUS made clear that if Russia invaded Ukraine, we would act with Germany to ensure Nord Stream 2 does not move forward. We have been in close consultations with Germany overnight and welcome their announcement. We will be following up with our own measures today.
Feb 22, 10:02 am
US to impose tougher sanctions on Russia, UK, EU tease same
As Ukraine calls on allies to impose harsher sanctions on Russia in response to Moscow’s recognition of the separatist regions in eastern Ukraine, several Western countries have announced some sanctions to start — and warned more are coming.
The White House is expected to announce tougher sanctions on Russia Tuesday following criticism from some lawmakers that sanctions President Joe Biden announced Monday were limited.
U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson labeled Russia’s actions this morning as a “renewed invasion” and announced the U.K. was sanctioning five Russian banks and three oligarchs, while the European Union weighs another set of sanctions that would ban trading in Russian state bonds and target imports and exports with separatist entities.
Top Russian officials have dismissed the new western sanctions, with Russia’s foreign minister Sergey Lavrov in a state TV interview saying Russia was already “used to” sanctions and that it considers more sanctions would be imposed on Moscow regardless of what it does.
But in what may amount to a huge blow to Russia, Germany announced earlier that it would halt Nordstrom 2, a key gas pipeline, as NATO allies aim to pressure Putin into a pathway to diplomacy. White House press secretary Jen Psaki applauded the move and teased more U.S. measures would be coming “today.”
Feb 22, 8:33 am
Putin denies wanting to recreate Russian empire
Russian President Vladimir Putin denied Tuesday that he is seeking to rebuild the Russian empire.
In remarks ahead of his meeting with Azerbaijan’s president, Putin said he knew his recognition of two Russia-backed separatist areas in eastern Ukraine would spark such “speculation.”
“I have seen speculation that Russia wants to rebuild the Russian empire in its imperial boundaries. That absolutely does not correspond to reality,” Putin said.
The Russian leader insisted that his country recognizes the sovereignty of all former Soviet countries but said the situation with Ukraine is “different” because he claimed foreign countries are using Ukrainian territory to threaten Russia.
“Unfortunately the territory of that country is being used by third countries to create a threat to Russia itself. The issues is only in that,” Putin said, adding that Russia’s cooperation with Ukriane has disappeared due to the conflict that began between the Ukrainian military and Russia-backed separatist forces in 2014, which he described as a “coup.”
Feb 22, 8:28 am
US embassy staff to stay in Lviv each day, in Poland at night
U.S. embassy staff who remained in Ukraine will be in the western city of Lviv during the daytime and stay in Poland each night for security reasons, amid fears of a Russian invasion, acting U.S. ambassador to Ukraine Kristina Kvien told ABC News.
The embassy’s skeleton staff had relocated operations to Lviv from the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv. They returned to Lviv on Tuesday after staying in Poland overnight, a senior U.S. official told ABC News.
Feb 22, 7:40 am
Germany halts approval of pipeline as part of sanctions against Russia
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz announced Tuesday that his country will halt its approval of the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline connecting Germany to Russia, in response to Russia’s recognition of two separatist areas in eastern Ukraine and amid fear of further possible aggression.
“The situation today is fundamentally different,” Scholz said at a press conference in Berlin.
Scholz said he has asked Germany’s Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action to take a step that blocks certification of the Nord Stream 2. That means the pipeline, which is already built, cannot go into operation for now.
The Nord Stream 2 linking Russia to Europe by circumventing Ukraine has been highly controversial, with Germany accused of allowing Russia to construct a geopolitical weapon enabling Moscow to pressure Europe using gas supplies. Last year, Ukraine and the United States were pushing to stop the project but Germany refused.
The decision to halt the pipeline’s certification serves as a major sanction against Russia amid growing fears of an invasion of neighboring Ukraine and immense pressure on Germany to act. Earlier Tuesday, Ukrainian President Zelenskyy called on Germany to include the Nord Stream 2 in Europe’s sanctions on Russia.
“At this stage, in addition to initial sanctions, it is now important to prevent further escalation and thus another catastrophe,” Scholz said. “That is what all our diplomatic efforts are aimed at.”
The move may amount to a huge blow to Russia, which has already stoked a gas crunch in Europe by having its state-owned energy company Gazprom deliver the bare minimum of gas despite severe shortages. Gazprom has continued to do that in recent weeks and could go further, and Germany is particularly vulnerable. During a press conference last week, Scholz repeatedly refused to explicitly say if he would be willing to halt the Nord Stream 2.
However, by suspending the pipeline’s certification, Germany dangles the possibility it could be resumed if Russia doesn’t make further aggressions against Ukraine. It’s unclear how Russia will respond to a continent that it knows is overly reliant on Russian energy.
Feb 22, 7:12 am
Ukraine doesn’t believe Russia will mount ‘large-scale’ invasion
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Tuesday he won’t introduce martial law for now because his government doesn’t believe that Russia will mount a “large-scale” invasion.
“We believe that there won’t be a war, a powerful one, against Ukraine and there won’t be a large-scale escalation from Russia,” Zelenskyy said during a joint press conference in Kyiv with his Estonian counterpart. “If there will be, we will impose martial law.”
Zelenskyy also revealed that he’s considering breaking off diplomatic relations with Russia over its recognition of two Russia-backed separatist areas in eastern Ukraine’s Donbas region. He said a proposal to do so has been put forward by the Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which he said he’s looking at it but has not yet made a decision.
The Ukrainian president also called for Western countries to impose sanctions fast against Russia, saying the situation is developing “very quickly” and that the “first steps” of Moscow’s aggression have already been made. Zelenskyy said sanctions should include fully stopping the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline connecting Russia to Germany.
“The reaction must as quick,” he noted. “Sanctions policy is more a powerful policy which can really have an effect on the probable escalation from Russia. Don’t wait for it to happen, because already the first steps of this aggression are done. We believe that legally the aggression has already been done.”
Feb 22, 7:01 am
Kremlin calls Western reaction ‘predictable’
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Tuesday that the reaction of Western countries to Russia’s recognition of two Russia-backed separatist areas in eastern Ukraine is “predictable.”
“As for the reaction, it was predictable, foreseeable,” Peskov told reporters during a daily call. “We will continue to work and to patiently put across our arguments.”
Peskov also claimed not to know anything about possible deployments of Russian “peacekeepers” into the areas overnight and made a comment that suggested the Kremlin may consider the legitimate territory of the separatists to include large parts of eastern Ukraine currently not in their control.
Separatists in the self-declared People’s Republics of Donetsk and Luhansk only hold about a third of the territory they claim in eastern Ukraine’s Donbas region. The fear is Russia might now back those claims and use it as a pretext to make a larger land grab and destroy Ukrainian forces.
Speaking to reporters Tuesday, Peskov said the Kremlin recognizes the separatist areas “in those borders which they have declared for themselves, when these two republics were declared.”
But when asked to clarify, Peskov added: “In those borders, in which they exist and were declared. And were declared and exist.”
When pressed if that meant within the “present borders” of the separatist areas, Peskov refused to answer, saying he had nothing more to add.
Peskov also said that Russia’s recognition of the areas means the issue of the Minsk agreement is “now off the agenda.” He said any negotiations going forward will focus only on Russia’s demands for security guarantees that Ukraine not join NATO.
Peskov noted that the United States has not contacted the Kremlin since Russian President Vladimir Putin announced Monday his recognition of the two separatist areas as independent, but that Moscow was “open to diplomatic contacts.”
What happens next, he said, is “up to our opponents.”
Feb 22, 6:09 am
Russian parliament ratifies friendship treaty with separatists areas of eastern Ukraine
Russia’s parliament voted Tuesday to ratify a friendship treaty with two Russia-backed separatist areas in eastern Ukraine.
Lawmakers also added an amendment that brings the Treaty of Friendship into force immediately. The treaty includes a mutual defense pact, which establishes that Russian troops will jointly guard the borders of the self-proclaimed People’s Republics of Donetsk and Luhansk, in a breakaway region of eastern Ukraine known as Donbas.
Lawmakers were still discussing the decrees that Russian President Vladimir Putin signed on Monday night recognizing the two areas as independent. Both the upper and lower chambers of Russia’s parliament are expected to vote soon on whether to ratify the orders.
It remains unclear exactly what borders Russia will recognize for the areas. Separatist leaders of the self-declared People’s Republics of Donetsk and Luhansk want to control all of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions in Donbas. But they currently only have about a third, with the rest controlled by Ukraine.
Some Russian officials have suggested Moscow may adopt the position that the separatist areas should include the entire Donetsk and Luhansk regions, thus raising fears that Russian troops will use force to expand the borders.
Feb 22, 5:49 am
Top Russian officials dismiss the West’s sanctions
Top Russian officials on Tuesday morning dismissed new sanctions being imposed by Western countries for Moscow’s recognition of the separatist areas in eastern Ukraine.
In an interview with state-owned television channel Russia-24, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said the country was already “used to” sanctions and that more would be imposed regardless of what Moscow does.
“That our [Western] colleagues are trying to push the blame on Russia for the failure of the Minsk agreements, we also understand,” Lavrov said. “Our European, American, British colleagues won’t stop and won’t calm down as long as they haven’t exhausted their possibilities for the so-called punishment of Russia.”
“They already threaten all possible sanctions. Hellish, or as they say there, ‘the mother of all sanctions,'” he added. “Well, we’re used to this. The president already noted our position, we know that sanctions will be introduced all the same, in any case. With a basis, without a basis.”
Meanwhile, the speaker of Russia’s parliament, Vyacheslav Volodin, echoed Lavrov’s sentiments during an ongoing session of the lower house, known as the State Duma.
“Yes, sanctions hinder our development. But they would happen anyway. They would happen anyway even if that decision hadn’t been taken,” Volodin told lawmakers, adding that there are “more important problems.”
“Yesterday, our president stopped a war,” he said. “It’s not a question of territory — it’s a question of the lives of millions of citizens.”
Feb 22, 5:10 am
US embassy staff return to Ukraine after spending night in Poland
U.S. embassy staff who remained in Ukraine will return to the country on Tuesday after spending the night in Poland amid fears of a Russian invasion, a senior U.S. official told ABC News.
Personnel will return to the city of Lviv in western Ukraine, where they had relocated operations from the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv. But they are poised to move back to Poland at any point, the official said.
Feb 22, 4:58 am
Russia-backed separatists claim Ukraine is still staging attacks
Russia-backed separatists in eastern Ukraine have continued to accuse Ukrainian government forces of attacks.
The separatists in a breakaway region known as Donbas made another unverified claim Tuesday morning that three civilians were killed by a roadside bomb.
Separatist leaders posted photographs of a burned-out minivan on a road in their territory that they alleged was the vehicle blown up by a Ukrainian “diversionary group.” The claim is unverified and resembles other allegations that have been rapidly debunked.
Meanwhile, a top separatist military commander accused Ukrainian government forces of continuing to shell the area.
The latest claims raise the possibility that Russia is still building a pretext to launch an attack on Ukrainian government troops, even after recognizing the self-proclaimed People’s Republics of Donetsk and Luhansk as independent.
Feb 22, 4:33 am
‘World cannot be silent,’ Ukrainian defense minister warns
Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov took to Twitter early Tuesday to dismiss Moscow’s recognition of the Russian-controlled breakaway areas in eastern Ukraine, saying the move amounts only to a recognition of the Kremlin’s “own aggression.”
“We remain confident and calm,” Reznikov tweeted. “We are ready and able to defend ourselves and our sovereignty.”
But he also issued a warning: “World cannot be silent.”
“Sanctions?” he tweeted. “Another brick in the wall? New Berlin Wall?”
Feb 22, 2:54 am
Putin’s recognition of separatists’ independence is ‘shameful act,’ Blinken says
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken early Tuesday called Russia’s move to recognize separatist regions in Ukraine as independent a “predictable” act.
“Russia’s move to recognize the ‘independence’ of so-called republics controlled by its own proxies is a predictable, shameful act,” he said on Twitter.
Blinken is scheduled to meet Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba in Washington on Tuesday.
Feb 22, 2:03 am
Blinken speaks with Ukraine’s Kuleba ahead of Tuesday meeting
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken spoke by phone on Monday with Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba, noting the Biden administration’s “swift response” to Russia’s decision to recognize Ukraine’s separatists’ regions as independent.
“They discussed the strong measures we announced today in response and reiterated that additional steps would be forthcoming,” State Department spokesperson Ned Price said in a statement late Monday.
Blinken and Kuleba are scheduled to meet on Tuesday in Washington.
Kuleba earlier said he spoke with Blinken about sanctions.
“I underscored the need to impose tough sanctions on Russia in response to its illegal actions,” Kuleba said on Twitter.
Feb 21, 11:58 pm
Ukrainian envoy says UN is infected with ‘virus’ spread by Kremlin
After the Russian envoy spoke at the U.N. Security Council’s emergency meeting Tuesday night, Ukraine’s envoy began his remarks by saying he was afraid to take off his mask not because of COVID-19 but “because of the virus that has so far no vaccine — the virus that hates the United Nations and the virus that is spread by the Kremlin.”
That “virus” has infected the U.N. and threatens to kill it, Ambassador Sergiy Kyslytsya said in a stark warning.
“The United Nations is sick, that’s a matter of fact,” he said. “It’s been hit by the virus spread by the Kremlin. Will it succumb to this virus? It is in the hands of the membership.”
Kyslytsya warned it’s not just the U.N. that he believes is under threat. During his remarks, he held up a paper that had a copy of the Kremlin’s decree recognizing Russian-backed “breakaway” provinces from Georgia in 2008 and the decree issued Monday recognizing the separatist Donetsk and Luhansk, showing how they’re almost the exact same.
“Copy, paste. Copy, paste. No creativity whatsoever. The copying machine in the Kremlin works very well. Who is next among the members of the United Nations? The question is open,” he said.
Kyslytsya demanded that Russia “cancel” and remove “additional Russian occupation troops” in Ukrainian territory, and he insisted, “The internationally recognized borders of Ukraine have been and will remain unchangeable regardless of any statements and actions by the Russian Federation.”
“We are committed to a peaceful and diplomatic path, and we will stay firmly on it. We are on our land. We are not afraid of anything or anyone. We owe nothing to anyone, and we will not give away anything to anyone,” he said.
Feb 21, 11:48 pm
Ukraine highlights importance of global response to Russia
Ukraine called for “painful sanctions” against Russia in a statement released by its foreign ministry, noting that how the world responds may greatly influence Russia’s next move.
“Further decisions and steps of the Russian Federation largely depend on the world’s reaction to today’s events,” the statement read. “Therefore, we insist on imposing painful sanctions against Russia in order to send a clear signal of the inadmissibility of further escalation. It is time to act to end Russia’s aggression and restore peace and stability in Europe.”
The country reiterated that it is ready to defend itself, stating that it “understands Russia’s intentions and its desire to provoke Ukraine. We take into account all risks and do not succumb to provocations.”
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba is currently in Washington and meets with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Tuesday.
Feb 21, 11:21 pm
Russian envoy dismisses criticisms, blames Ukraine in Security Council meeting
In remarks during an emergency U.N. Security Council meeting Tuesday, Russian Ambassador Vasily Nebenzia dismissed “highly emotional” criticisms of Russia and said nothing has changed on the ground, while also blaming Ukraine for the decisions President Vladimir Putin’s decisions made earlier in the day.
Nebenzia dismissed “unfounded panic about an impending Russian invasion of Ukraine” — as Russian troops prepare to come across the border — and painted Russia as a pacifist hero that welcomed refugees who were forced onto buses by Russian-led separatists.
“We’ve just heard a number of highly emotional statements, categorical assessments, and far-reaching conclusions,” he said during the emergency meeting. “I’ll leave the direct verbal assaults against us unanswered. Now it’s important to focus on how to avoid war and how to force Ukraine to stop the shelling and provocations against Donetsk and Luhansk.”
Russian-controlled separatists are responsible for the shelling and for staging the provocations, but Nebenzia worked to portray Ukraine as the aggressor and Russia as the force preventing war, despite it essentially seizing Ukrainian territory.
(NEW YORK) — The United States continues to warn that Russia could cross into Ukraine “any moment” amid escalating tensions in the region with the White House set to announce new sanctions on Russia Tuesday.
In a fiery address to the Russian public on Monday evening, Putin announced he was recognizing the independence of two Russia-backed separatist areas in eastern Ukraine’s Donbas region: the self-proclaimed People’s Republics of Donetsk and Luhansk (DNR and LNR) — prompting a set of sanctions from Western countries, including Germany halting approval of a major gas pipeline from Russia.
Biden, in response, issued an executive order banning “new investment, trade, and financing by U.S. persons to, from, or in the so-called DNR and LNR regions of Ukraine,” which “will also provide authority to impose sanctions on any person determined to operate in those areas of Ukraine,” according to White House press secretary Jen Psaki, who said the U.S. “will also soon announce additional measures related to today’s blatant violation of Russia’s international commitments.”
While the U.S. says some 190,000 Russian troops and separatist forces are estimated to be massed near Ukraine’s borders, Russia has denied any wrongdoing and reiterated its demands that the U.S. and NATO bar Ukraine from joining the military alliance.
Here’s how the news is developing. All times Eastern:
Feb 22, 11:23 am
1st EU package of Russian sanctions to target decision-makers, banks
The European Union has published the proposals of targeted measures that will be formally tabled Tuesday afternoon in response to Moscow’s recognition of the separatist regions in eastern Ukraine — and adds that they have prepared and stand ready to adopt additional measures if needed.
In a statement from the presidents of the European Commission and the European Council on Russian aggression against Ukraine, the group labeled Russia’s actions as “illegal and unacceptable.”
“It violates international law, Ukraine’s territorial integrity and sovereignty, Russia’s own international commitments and it further escalates the crisis. Both Presidents welcome the steadfast unity of Member States and their determination to react with robustness and speed to the illegal actions of Russia in close coordination with international partners,” they said.
The package contains proposals to target individuals involved with the decision to recognize Russian-backed separatist regions, banks financing the move, Russian access to EU markets and trade from the two breakaway regions.
An informal meeting of EU Foreign Affairs Ministers chaired by the High Representative is scheduled for 4 p.m. where the first package of sanctions will be formally tabled later this afternoon. Appropriate bodies will then meet to finalize the package.
-ABC News’ Christine Theodorou
Feb 22, 11:20 am
Biden to deliver afternoon remarks on Russia, Ukraine
President Joe Biden will provide an update on Russia and Ukraine from the White House at 1 p.m. on Tuesday, according to an updated official schedule.
White House press secretary Jen Psaki in an earlier tweet pledged that more U.S. measures would come “today” but did not give any further details on when or how severe they will be.
@POTUS made clear that if Russia invaded Ukraine, we would act with Germany to ensure Nord Stream 2 does not move forward. We have been in close consultations with Germany overnight and welcome their announcement. We will be following up with our own measures today.
Feb 22, 10:02 am
US to impose tougher sanctions on Russia, UK, EU tease same
As Ukraine calls on allies to impose harsher sanctions on Russia in response to Moscow’s recognition of the separatist regions in eastern Ukraine, several Western countries have announced some sanctions to start — and warned more are coming.
The White House is expected to announce tougher sanctions on Russia Tuesday following criticism from some lawmakers that sanctions President Joe Biden announced Monday were limited.
U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson labeled Russia’s actions this morning as a “renewed invasion” and announced the U.K. was sanctioning five Russian banks and three oligarchs, while the European Union weighs another set of sanctions that would ban trading in Russian state bonds and target imports and exports with separatist entities.
Top Russian officials have dismissed the new western sanctions, with Russia’s foreign minister Sergey Lavrov in a state TV interview saying Russia was already “used to” sanctions and that it considers more sanctions would be imposed on Moscow regardless of what it does.
But in what may amount to a huge blow to Russia, Germany announced earlier that it would halt Nordstrom 2, a key gas pipeline, as NATO allies aim to pressure Putin into a pathway to diplomacy. White House press secretary Jen Psaki applauded the move and teased more U.S. measures would be coming “today.”
Feb 22, 8:33 am
Putin denies wanting to recreate Russian empire
Russian President Vladimir Putin denied Tuesday that he is seeking to rebuild the Russian empire.
In remarks ahead of his meeting with Azerbaijan’s president, Putin said he knew his recognition of two Russia-backed separatist areas in eastern Ukraine would spark such “speculation.”
“I have seen speculation that Russia wants to rebuild the Russian empire in its imperial boundaries. That absolutely does not correspond to reality,” Putin said.
The Russian leader insisted that his country recognizes the sovereignty of all former Soviet countries but said the situation with Ukraine is “different” because he claimed foreign countries are using Ukrainian territory to threaten Russia.
“Unfortunately the territory of that country is being used by third countries to create a threat to Russia itself. The issues is only in that,” Putin said, adding that Russia’s cooperation with Ukriane has disappeared due to the conflict that began between the Ukrainian military and Russia-backed separatist forces in 2014, which he described as a “coup.”
Feb 22, 8:28 am
US embassy staff to stay in Lviv each day, in Poland at night
U.S. embassy staff who remained in Ukraine will be in the western city of Lviv during the daytime and stay in Poland each night for security reasons, amid fears of a Russian invasion, acting U.S. ambassador to Ukraine Kristina Kvien told ABC News.
The embassy’s skeleton staff had relocated operations to Lviv from the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv. They returned to Lviv on Tuesday after staying in Poland overnight, a senior U.S. official told ABC News.
Feb 22, 7:40 am
Germany halts approval of pipeline as part of sanctions against Russia
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz announced Tuesday that his country will halt its approval of the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline connecting Germany to Russia, in response to Russia’s recognition of two separatist areas in eastern Ukraine and amid fear of further possible aggression.
“The situation today is fundamentally different,” Scholz said at a press conference in Berlin.
Scholz said he has asked Germany’s Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action to take a step that blocks certification of the Nord Stream 2. That means the pipeline, which is already built, cannot go into operation for now.
The Nord Stream 2 linking Russia to Europe by circumventing Ukraine has been highly controversial, with Germany accused of allowing Russia to construct a geopolitical weapon enabling Moscow to pressure Europe using gas supplies. Last year, Ukraine and the United States were pushing to stop the project but Germany refused.
The decision to halt the pipeline’s certification serves as a major sanction against Russia amid growing fears of an invasion of neighboring Ukraine and immense pressure on Germany to act. Earlier Tuesday, Ukrainian President Zelenskyy called on Germany to include the Nord Stream 2 in Europe’s sanctions on Russia.
“At this stage, in addition to initial sanctions, it is now important to prevent further escalation and thus another catastrophe,” Scholz said. “That is what all our diplomatic efforts are aimed at.”
The move may amount to a huge blow to Russia, which has already stoked a gas crunch in Europe by having its state-owned energy company Gazprom deliver the bare minimum of gas despite severe shortages. Gazprom has continued to do that in recent weeks and could go further, and Germany is particularly vulnerable. During a press conference last week, Scholz repeatedly refused to explicitly say if he would be willing to halt the Nord Stream 2.
However, by suspending the pipeline’s certification, Germany dangles the possibility it could be resumed if Russia doesn’t make further aggressions against Ukraine. It’s unclear how Russia will respond to a continent that it knows is overly reliant on Russian energy.
Feb 22, 7:12 am
Ukraine doesn’t believe Russia will mount ‘large-scale’ invasion
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Tuesday he won’t introduce martial law for now because his government doesn’t believe that Russia will mount a “large-scale” invasion.
“We believe that there won’t be a war, a powerful one, against Ukraine and there won’t be a large-scale escalation from Russia,” Zelenskyy said during a joint press conference in Kyiv with his Estonian counterpart. “If there will be, we will impose martial law.”
Zelenskyy also revealed that he’s considering breaking off diplomatic relations with Russia over its recognition of two Russia-backed separatist areas in eastern Ukraine’s Donbas region. He said a proposal to do so has been put forward by the Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which he said he’s looking at it but has not yet made a decision.
The Ukrainian president also called for Western countries to impose sanctions fast against Russia, saying the situation is developing “very quickly” and that the “first steps” of Moscow’s aggression have already been made. Zelenskyy said sanctions should include fully stopping the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline connecting Russia to Germany.
“The reaction must as quick,” he noted. “Sanctions policy is more a powerful policy which can really have an effect on the probable escalation from Russia. Don’t wait for it to happen, because already the first steps of this aggression are done. We believe that legally the aggression has already been done.”
Feb 22, 7:01 am
Kremlin calls Western reaction ‘predictable’
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Tuesday that the reaction of Western countries to Russia’s recognition of two Russia-backed separatist areas in eastern Ukraine is “predictable.”
“As for the reaction, it was predictable, foreseeable,” Peskov told reporters during a daily call. “We will continue to work and to patiently put across our arguments.”
Peskov also claimed not to know anything about possible deployments of Russian “peacekeepers” into the areas overnight and made a comment that suggested the Kremlin may consider the legitimate territory of the separatists to include large parts of eastern Ukraine currently not in their control.
Separatists in the self-declared People’s Republics of Donetsk and Luhansk only hold about a third of the territory they claim in eastern Ukraine’s Donbas region. The fear is Russia might now back those claims and use it as a pretext to make a larger land grab and destroy Ukrainian forces.
Speaking to reporters Tuesday, Peskov said the Kremlin recognizes the separatist areas “in those borders which they have declared for themselves, when these two republics were declared.”
But when asked to clarify, Peskov added: “In those borders, in which they exist and were declared. And were declared and exist.”
When pressed if that meant within the “present borders” of the separatist areas, Peskov refused to answer, saying he had nothing more to add.
Peskov also said that Russia’s recognition of the areas means the issue of the Minsk agreement is “now off the agenda.” He said any negotiations going forward will focus only on Russia’s demands for security guarantees that Ukraine not join NATO.
Peskov noted that the United States has not contacted the Kremlin since Russian President Vladimir Putin announced Monday his recognition of the two separatist areas as independent, but that Moscow was “open to diplomatic contacts.”
What happens next, he said, is “up to our opponents.”
Feb 22, 6:09 am
Russian parliament ratifies friendship treaty with separatists areas of eastern Ukraine
Russia’s parliament voted Tuesday to ratify a friendship treaty with two Russia-backed separatist areas in eastern Ukraine.
Lawmakers also added an amendment that brings the Treaty of Friendship into force immediately. The treaty includes a mutual defense pact, which establishes that Russian troops will jointly guard the borders of the self-proclaimed People’s Republics of Donetsk and Luhansk, in a breakaway region of eastern Ukraine known as Donbas.
Lawmakers were still discussing the decrees that Russian President Vladimir Putin signed on Monday night recognizing the two areas as independent. Both the upper and lower chambers of Russia’s parliament are expected to vote soon on whether to ratify the orders.
It remains unclear exactly what borders Russia will recognize for the areas. Separatist leaders of the self-declared People’s Republics of Donetsk and Luhansk want to control all of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions in Donbas. But they currently only have about a third, with the rest controlled by Ukraine.
Some Russian officials have suggested Moscow may adopt the position that the separatist areas should include the entire Donetsk and Luhansk regions, thus raising fears that Russian troops will use force to expand the borders.
Feb 22, 5:49 am
Top Russian officials dismiss the West’s sanctions
Top Russian officials on Tuesday morning dismissed new sanctions being imposed by Western countries for Moscow’s recognition of the separatist areas in eastern Ukraine.
In an interview with state-owned television channel Russia-24, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said the country was already “used to” sanctions and that more would be imposed regardless of what Moscow does.
“That our [Western] colleagues are trying to push the blame on Russia for the failure of the Minsk agreements, we also understand,” Lavrov said. “Our European, American, British colleagues won’t stop and won’t calm down as long as they haven’t exhausted their possibilities for the so-called punishment of Russia.”
“They already threaten all possible sanctions. Hellish, or as they say there, ‘the mother of all sanctions,'” he added. “Well, we’re used to this. The president already noted our position, we know that sanctions will be introduced all the same, in any case. With a basis, without a basis.”
Meanwhile, the speaker of Russia’s parliament, Vyacheslav Volodin, echoed Lavrov’s sentiments during an ongoing session of the lower house, known as the State Duma.
“Yes, sanctions hinder our development. But they would happen anyway. They would happen anyway even if that decision hadn’t been taken,” Volodin told lawmakers, adding that there are “more important problems.”
“Yesterday, our president stopped a war,” he said. “It’s not a question of territory — it’s a question of the lives of millions of citizens.”
Feb 22, 5:10 am
US embassy staff return to Ukraine after spending night in Poland
U.S. embassy staff who remained in Ukraine will return to the country on Tuesday after spending the night in Poland amid fears of a Russian invasion, a senior U.S. official told ABC News.
Personnel will return to the city of Lviv in western Ukraine, where they had relocated operations from the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv. But they are poised to move back to Poland at any point, the official said.
Feb 22, 4:58 am
Russia-backed separatists claim Ukraine is still staging attacks
Russia-backed separatists in eastern Ukraine have continued to accuse Ukrainian government forces of attacks.
The separatists in a breakaway region known as Donbas made another unverified claim Tuesday morning that three civilians were killed by a roadside bomb.
Separatist leaders posted photographs of a burned-out minivan on a road in their territory that they alleged was the vehicle blown up by a Ukrainian “diversionary group.” The claim is unverified and resembles other allegations that have been rapidly debunked.
Meanwhile, a top separatist military commander accused Ukrainian government forces of continuing to shell the area.
The latest claims raise the possibility that Russia is still building a pretext to launch an attack on Ukrainian government troops, even after recognizing the self-proclaimed People’s Republics of Donetsk and Luhansk as independent.
Feb 22, 4:33 am
‘World cannot be silent,’ Ukrainian defense minister warns
Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov took to Twitter early Tuesday to dismiss Moscow’s recognition of the Russian-controlled breakaway areas in eastern Ukraine, saying the move amounts only to a recognition of the Kremlin’s “own aggression.”
“We remain confident and calm,” Reznikov tweeted. “We are ready and able to defend ourselves and our sovereignty.”
But he also issued a warning: “World cannot be silent.”
“Sanctions?” he tweeted. “Another brick in the wall? New Berlin Wall?”
Feb 22, 2:54 am
Putin’s recognition of separatists’ independence is ‘shameful act,’ Blinken says
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken early Tuesday called Russia’s move to recognize separatist regions in Ukraine as independent a “predictable” act.
“Russia’s move to recognize the ‘independence’ of so-called republics controlled by its own proxies is a predictable, shameful act,” he said on Twitter.
Blinken is scheduled to meet Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba in Washington on Tuesday.
Feb 22, 2:03 am
Blinken speaks with Ukraine’s Kuleba ahead of Tuesday meeting
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken spoke by phone on Monday with Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba, noting the Biden administration’s “swift response” to Russia’s decision to recognize Ukraine’s separatists’ regions as independent.
“They discussed the strong measures we announced today in response and reiterated that additional steps would be forthcoming,” State Department spokesperson Ned Price said in a statement late Monday.
Blinken and Kuleba are scheduled to meet on Tuesday in Washington.
Kuleba earlier said he spoke with Blinken about sanctions.
“I underscored the need to impose tough sanctions on Russia in response to its illegal actions,” Kuleba said on Twitter.
Feb 21, 11:58 pm
Ukrainian envoy says UN is infected with ‘virus’ spread by Kremlin
After the Russian envoy spoke at the U.N. Security Council’s emergency meeting Tuesday night, Ukraine’s envoy began his remarks by saying he was afraid to take off his mask not because of COVID-19 but “because of the virus that has so far no vaccine — the virus that hates the United Nations and the virus that is spread by the Kremlin.”
That “virus” has infected the U.N. and threatens to kill it, Ambassador Sergiy Kyslytsya said in a stark warning.
“The United Nations is sick, that’s a matter of fact,” he said. “It’s been hit by the virus spread by the Kremlin. Will it succumb to this virus? It is in the hands of the membership.”
Kyslytsya warned it’s not just the U.N. that he believes is under threat. During his remarks, he held up a paper that had a copy of the Kremlin’s decree recognizing Russian-backed “breakaway” provinces from Georgia in 2008 and the decree issued Monday recognizing the separatist Donetsk and Luhansk, showing how they’re almost the exact same.
“Copy, paste. Copy, paste. No creativity whatsoever. The copying machine in the Kremlin works very well. Who is next among the members of the United Nations? The question is open,” he said.
Kyslytsya demanded that Russia “cancel” and remove “additional Russian occupation troops” in Ukrainian territory, and he insisted, “The internationally recognized borders of Ukraine have been and will remain unchangeable regardless of any statements and actions by the Russian Federation.”
“We are committed to a peaceful and diplomatic path, and we will stay firmly on it. We are on our land. We are not afraid of anything or anyone. We owe nothing to anyone, and we will not give away anything to anyone,” he said.
Feb 21, 11:48 pm
Ukraine highlights importance of global response to Russia
Ukraine called for “painful sanctions” against Russia in a statement released by its foreign ministry, noting that how the world responds may greatly influence Russia’s next move.
“Further decisions and steps of the Russian Federation largely depend on the world’s reaction to today’s events,” the statement read. “Therefore, we insist on imposing painful sanctions against Russia in order to send a clear signal of the inadmissibility of further escalation. It is time to act to end Russia’s aggression and restore peace and stability in Europe.”
The country reiterated that it is ready to defend itself, stating that it “understands Russia’s intentions and its desire to provoke Ukraine. We take into account all risks and do not succumb to provocations.”
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba is currently in Washington and meets with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Tuesday.
Feb 21, 11:21 pm
Russian envoy dismisses criticisms, blames Ukraine in Security Council meeting
In remarks during an emergency U.N. Security Council meeting Tuesday, Russian Ambassador Vasily Nebenzia dismissed “highly emotional” criticisms of Russia and said nothing has changed on the ground, while also blaming Ukraine for the decisions President Vladimir Putin’s decisions made earlier in the day.
Nebenzia dismissed “unfounded panic about an impending Russian invasion of Ukraine” — as Russian troops prepare to come across the border — and painted Russia as a pacifist hero that welcomed refugees who were forced onto buses by Russian-led separatists.
“We’ve just heard a number of highly emotional statements, categorical assessments, and far-reaching conclusions,” he said during the emergency meeting. “I’ll leave the direct verbal assaults against us unanswered. Now it’s important to focus on how to avoid war and how to force Ukraine to stop the shelling and provocations against Donetsk and Luhansk.”
Russian-controlled separatists are responsible for the shelling and for staging the provocations, but Nebenzia worked to portray Ukraine as the aggressor and Russia as the force preventing war, despite it essentially seizing Ukrainian territory.
(NEW YORK) — The United States continues to warn that Russia could invade Ukraine “any day” amid escalating tensions in the region, with President Joe Biden telling reporters Friday he’s “convinced” Russian President Vladimir Putin has decided to invade.
More diplomacy seemed possible, though, with Biden agreeing “in principle” Sunday to meet with Putin, as long as Russia didn’t invade, but the Kremlin on Monday said talk of a summit was “premature.”
On Monday, Putin said he would decide by the end of the day whether to recognize Russian-backed separatist regions in eastern Ukraine, which the U.S. said he could use as a pretext for an invasion.
While the U.S. says some 190,000 Russian troops and separatist forces are estimated to be massed near Ukraine’s borders, Russia has denied any plans to invade and reiterated its demands that the U.S. and NATO bar Ukraine from joining the military alliance.
Here’s how the news developed Monday. All times Eastern:
Feb 21, 9:32 pm
US to announce new sanctions against Russia on Tuesday
The Biden administration plans to impose additional sanctions against Russia on Tuesday, a White House official told ABC News.
“We plan to announce new sanctions on Russia tomorrow in response to Moscow’s decision and actions today,” the official said.
The U.S. is consulting with allies and partners now on the way forward, the White House official and a spokesperson for the State Department told ABC News.
Among those consultations was a conversation Secretary of State Antony Blinken had with Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba Monday night — ahead of their in-person meeting Tuesday in Washington — in which they spoke about the necessity for tough sanctions on Russia.
The spokesperson described Russian President Vladimir Putin’s actions on Monday as “a major escalation” and “another indication that Russia is seeking war, not diplomacy.”
Earlier on Monday, President Joe Biden tweeted a photo of himself signing an executive order to authorize limited sanctions in response to Russia’s decision to recognize the independence of two regions in eastern Ukraine.
Feb 21, 9:17 pm
US diplomats in Ukraine moved to Poland for their safety
U.S. embassy staff that remained in Ukraine in Lviv have been moved to Poland for the night for security reasons, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a statement Monday.
The diplomats “will spend the night in Poland,” Blinken said, but their departure may be open-ended. They “will regularly return to continue their diplomatic work in Ukraine and provide emergency consular services,” Blinken added, without offering more details.
As the U.S. has done for weeks, Blinken urged U.S. citizens to depart the country immediately amid the threat of a Russian invasion “at any moment.” Commercial flights could soon be “severely” restricted, Blinken warned, because of “any Russian military operations.”
The State Department has stationed support teams near the Ukrainian border in Romania, Hungary, Slovakia and Moldova, along with the U.S. citizen welcome center it opened in Poland last week, Blinken said.
Feb 21, 9:06 pm
Top Democrats echo GOP calls for tougher sanctions on Russia
Democrats are now joining Republicans in the call for stricter sanctions against Russia in the wake of President Vladimir Putin’s decision to recognize two separatist regions in Ukraine as independent.
Senate Foreign Relations Committee Sen. Bob Menendez, D-N.J., is calling for “crushing sanctions” if “any additional Russian troops or proxy forces cross into Donbas.”
“There must be tangible, far-reaching and substantial costs for Russia in response to this unjustified act,” Menendez said.
Sen. Chris Coons, a close ally of President Joe Biden and a senior Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, called for “significant” action to be taken against Russia.
“The time for taking action to impose significant costs on President Putin and the Kremlin starts now,” Coons said late Monday, adding that the U.S. must “swiftly” join NATO allies and European Union partners “to impose forceful new sanctions on Russia.”
Feb 21, 9:26 pm
Zelenskyy says Ukraine is ready to defend itself
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Monday that he considers the decision of Russian President Vladimir Putin to recognize two separatist regions as independent to be a violation of the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Ukraine.
“According to Article 51 of the UN Charter, Ukraine reserves the right to individual and collective self-defense,” the president said. “We can well distinguish between provocations and attacks by the aggressor’s troops.”
Zelenskyy said Russia’s decision constitutes a de facto exit from the Minsk agreements, which attempted to end the fighting in the East but was vaguely written. Its interpretation is disputed by both sides.
The president noted that he initiated an urgent meeting of the United Nations Security Council and the Normandy 4 — Germany, France, Ukraine and Russia.
He added that Ukraine was committed to diplomacy but noted that they are ready to defend the country.
There’s no need to panic, Zelenskyy said, adding that he is “committed to a peaceful and diplomatic path,” but also noting that it’s not 2014, it’s 2022. “This is another country, another army,” he said.
We are not afraid of anything or anyone,” Zelenskyy said. “We owe nothing to anyone. And we will not give anything to anyone.”
Feb 21, 7:20 pm
UN Security Council to meet in open session on Ukraine
The United Nations Security Council will meet Monday at 9 p.m. ET on the unfolding crisis in Ukraine.
Ukraine, which requested the meeting, will be allowed to participate even though it is not a member of the council.
The U.S., U.K., Albania, Ireland, France, Norway, Mexico and France — all current or permanent members of the council — backed the meeting, a U.S. official told ABC News.
Russia, as council president, is responsible for scheduling meetings. With so many countries in favor, it likely could not have blocked this one.
In its letter requesting the meeting, Ukraine accused Russia of “ongoing aggravation of the security situation,” violating “Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity – the fundamental principles enshrined in the Article 2 of the UN Charter” and endangering “international peace and security,” according to a copy of the letter obtained by ABC News.
Feb 21, 6:58 pm
Republicans criticize Biden administration’s handling of Ukraine crisis
Top House Republicans are criticizing the Biden administration for its handling of the evolving crisis in Ukraine.
The ranking members on the House Foreign Affairs Committee and the House Armed Services Committee released a joint statement Monday, saying it was a “dangerous mistake” by the administration to say it will impose sanctions on Russia if and only if they invade Ukraine — and not before.
They also said the sanctions previewed by the White House thus far “are the definition of impotence,” calling for forceful sanctions to be imposed starting now.
No. 3 House Republican Elise Stefanik (R-NY) tweeted Monday that Biden is “unfit” to be commander-in-chief.
“Joe Biden is unable to stand up to Putin,” she tweeted. “He is unfit to be our Commander-in-chief.”
A growing group of GOP senators are also calling for the Biden administration to severely sanction Russia for Putin’s decision to recognize Russian-backed separatist territories.
Sen. Lindsey Graham is also intensifying calls for sanctions with a series of tweets calling into question the “will” of the administration to act.
“It’s clear that after the debacle in Afghanistan, every thuggish figure on the planet is licking their chops, including the Iranians and the Chinese,” Graham tweeted. “I stand ready, willing and able to work with the Biden Administration to impose the most crushing sanctions possible on the Russian economy. The question is whether the Biden Administration has the will and determination to do so.”
House Republican Rep. Liz Cheney said that Russia’s actions on Monday, including the recognizing and ordering of troops into Ukraine separatist regions, qualifies as an invasion, saying the Biden administration must impose “crippling” sanctions now.
“Russia has invaded Ukraine,” Cheney tweeted. “The Biden Administration and our allies must impose full set of crippling sanctions now.”
Feb 21, 7:01 pm
Putin questions Ukraine’s legitimacy as a country
In his speech Monday, Russian President Vladimir Putin questioned Ukraine’s historical legitimacy as a country and made clear he will not tolerate it pulling away from Russia.
Putin said he considers the current government in Kyiv to be illegitimate, describing it as “those that seized and cling to power” and engaging in a long, detailed exposition arguing that modern Ukraine was a Soviet creation.
Putin lambasted the leaders of Ukraine’s 2014 revolution and accused the country’s government of being entirely under the control of the West, saying the revolution had led to “terror” and economic failure.
At one point, Putin challenged Ukraine’s efforts to break away from its Soviet past, implying that if wanted to do that it should accept being dismembered.
“You want decommunization? Well, decommunization suits us very well,” Putin said. “Let us show you what real decommunization means for Ukraine.”
The implication was that a pro-Western “nationalist” elite has hijacked Ukraine and is trying to pull it away from Russia and should therefore be removed.
Putin then painted modern Ukraine as ungrateful, immature and accused it of taking advantage of Russia, which he represented as having tried to be the benevolent senior partner.
“Russia did everything to preserve Ukraine’s territorial,” Putin said.
Feb 21, 7:25 pm
Russia preparing for invasion ‘in coming hours or days,’ US official says
Russia is continuing to prepare for an invasion into Ukraine “in coming hours or days,” a senior U.S. administration official told reporters on a call Monday.
The big question now is whether Putin’s move to put security forces on the ground in the separatist region constitutes an invasion in the eyes of the west, therefore triggering the severe sanctions Western countries have been threatening.
The administration is still “observing and assessing” exactly what Russia is doing, the official said, adding that there will likely be more sanctions on Tuesday.
When pressed by reporters on whether Putin started an invasion or triggered sanctions with his move on Monday, the official responded that Russian troops have been in the region for years.
The senior administration official heavily criticized the speech Putin made Monday as making “clear his true design,” which was to persuade Russian citizens to “justify war.”
“This wasn’t a speech just about Russia’s security,” the official said. “It was an attack on the very idea of a sovereign and independent Ukraine. He made clear that he views Ukraine historically as part of Russia and made a number of false claims about Ukraine’s intention that seems designed to excuse possible military action. This was a speech to the Russian people to justify a war. In fact, he once again explicitly threatened one.”
Feb 21, 6:58 pm
UK to announce new sanctions against Russia
The U.K. will announce new sanctions against Russia on Tuesday “in response to their breach of international law and attack on Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity,” U.K. Foreign Secretary Liz Truss said Monday.
Earlier in the day, Truss said the recognition of the Donetsk People’s Republic and the Luhansk People’s Republic as independent states “demonstrates Russia’s decision to choose a path of confrontation over dialogue.”
“We will not allow Russia’s violation of its international commitments to go unpunished,” Truss said.
The decision to recognize Donetsk and Luhansk in eastern Ukraine was an “ill omen” and a flagrant breach of international law, U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson said.
Johnson spoke to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Monday evening. Johnson outlined “his grave concern at recent developments in the region” and told Zelenskyy “that he believed an invasion was a real possibility in the coming hours and days,” according to a Downing Street spokesperson.
“The leaders agreed that the West needed to support Ukraine in the event of an invasion but should continue to pursue a diplomatic solution until the last possible second,” the spokesperson said.
Feb 21, 5:47 pm
Treaty will allow Russia to build military infrastructure on Ukraine territory
Russia has published the mutual defense treaty it has concluded with the separatist regions.
The “friendship, cooperation and mutual aid” treaty states that the two will come to each other’s defense in the case of attack and authorizes Russia to build military infrastructure on the separatist territory — inside an internationally recognized part of Ukraine.
The treaty also says that Russia and the separatist forces will guards its borders jointly, meaning Russian forces will openly deploy along the frontline.
It lays the ground for a substantial open Russian military deployment into the separatist territory, where a lot of covert Russian troops were already located.
Feb 21, 5:21 pm
The U.S. administration has urged Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to head to Lviv, in the western part of the country, for his safety, a U.S. official told ABC News.
Feb 21, 5:49 pm
Biden, Macron and Scholz ‘strongly condemned’ Putin’s decision, White House says
President Joe Biden spoke with French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz on Monday afternoon, in which all three leaders “strongly condemned” Russian President Vladimir Putin’s decision to recognize separatist regions in Ukraine as independent, the White House announced in a statement.
“The leaders strongly condemned President Putin’s decision to recognize the so-called DNR and LNR regions of Ukraine as ‘independent,'” the statement read. “They discussed how they will continue to coordinate their response on next steps.”
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg also condemned Putin’s decision, stating, “This further undermines Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, erodes efforts towards a resolution of the conflict, and violates the Minsk Agreements, to which Russia is a party.”
Feb 21, 4:41 pm
Putin orders Russian military to assist in “maintaining peace” in separatist regions
In the decree signed by Russian President Vladimir Putin recognizing independence for two Russian-controlled separatist regions in eastern Ukraine’s Donbas region, Putin ordered Russia’s Defense Ministry to assist the separatist forces in “maintaining peace.”
This degree gives Russia’s military a basis to openly enter the regions.
The decree specifies that Russia’s forces should maintain the “peace” before the formal signing of a treaty of “friendship, cooperation and mutual aid” between Russian and the “republics.”
The decree also orders Russia’s foreign ministry to begin establishing diplomatic relations with the two separatist “republics.”
“In connection with the appeal of the head of the Donetsk’s People’s Republic, the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation is to ensure before the conclusion of the agreement, named in point three of the present Decree, the fulfilment by the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation on the territory of the People’s Republic of Donetsk the function of maintaining the peace,” the decree reads.
Feb 21, 6:02 pm
Leaders call for UN Security Council meeting
French President Emmanuel Macron is calling for an emergency United Nations Security Council meeting and “targeted European sanctions” in the wake of Russian President Vladimir Putin announcing recognition of independence of two Russian-controlled separatist regions in eastern Ukraine’s Donbas region.
“This is clearly a unilateral violation of Russia’s international commitments and an attack on Ukraine’s sovereignty,” the Elysée Palace said.
United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres is “greatly concerned” by Putin’s decision, which he considers to be a violation of Ukraine’s territorial integrity and sovereignty, a spokesperson said.
“The United Nations, in line with the relevant General Assembly resolutions, remains fully supportive of the sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity of Ukraine, within its internationally recognized borders,” the spokesperson said. “The Secretary-General urges all relevant actors to focus their efforts on ensuring an immediate cessation of hostilities, protection of civilians and civilian infrastructure, preventing any actions and statements that may further escalate the dangerous situation in and around Ukraine and prioritizing diplomacy to address all issues peacefully.”
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba had called for a U.N. Security Council meeting earlier in the day. The U.S. is now backing the call, with Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield saying in a statement that the U.N.’s highest body “must demand that Russia respect the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine, a UN Member State.”
“We must all stand with Ukraine in the face of this brazen attempt to usurp Ukraine’s sovereign territory,” Thomas-Greenfield said. “There can be no fence-sitters in this crisis.”
Feb 21, 3:54 pm
Biden responds with sanctions
President Joe Biden will issue an executive order banning “new investment, trade, and financing by U.S. persons to, from, or in the so-called DNR and LNR regions of Ukraine,” the White House said, in response to Russian President Vladimir Putin recognizing the self-proclaimed People’s Republics of Donetsk and Lugansk, two Russian-controlled separatist regions in eastern Ukraine’s Donbas region.
“This E.O. will also provide authority to impose sanctions on any person determined to operate in those areas of Ukraine,” White House press secretary Jen Psaki said in the statement. “We will also soon announce additional measures related to today’s blatant violation of Russia’s international commitments.”
Psaki added, “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.”
Biden spoke to Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy for 35 minutes while Putin was giving his address, a White House official confirmed. Biden then spoke with French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, according to a White House official.
Feb 21, 3:33 pm
Putin says he’ll recognize separatist regions as independent
Russian President Vladimir Putin in an address to the Russian people announced recognition of the two Russian-controlled separatist regions in eastern Ukraine’s Donbas region, the self-proclaimed People’s Republics of Donetsk and Lugansk.
“I believe that it’s necessary to take a decision that has long been coming — to immediately recognize the independence and sovereignty of the Donesk’s People’s Republic and the Lugansk People’s Republic,” Putin said.
Putin also made a menacing warning to Ukraine’s government, telling it to “immediately cease all military action” near the separatist regions or else they will face “full responsibility” for further consequences and bloodshed.
Putin’s address laid an aggrieved vision of Russia’s post-Soviet relations with the West and questioned the historical underpinnings of Ukraine’s statehood. Putin said Ukraine was infected with the “virus of nationalism” and blamed Ukrainian politicians and the West for allegedly cynically drumming up divisions.
Putin denounced Ukraine’s 2014 revolution, saying it had not led to the developed “Western” direction it promised, instead claiming it had led to “terror” and to economic failure.
Putin also said he believed that the West would impose sanctions on Russia regardless of what happens.
“A pretext for the next sanctions attack will always be found. Or fabricated. There is one goal to contain the development of Russia,” he said.
The European Commission in a statement said it will react to Putin’s decision to recognize the separatist regions with sanctions “against those involved in this illegal act.”
Ursula von der Leyen, president of the EU Commission, condemned Putin’s decision on Twitter, calling it “a blatant violation of international law, the territorial integrity of Ukraine and the #Minsk agreements.”
United Kingdom Prime Minister Boris Johnson also condemned Putin’s announcement, saying, “This is plainly in breach of international law — it’s a flagrant violation of the sovereignty and integrity of Ukraine. … It is a repudiation of the Minsk process and the Minsk Agreements.”
“I think it’s a very ill omen and a very dark sign,” Johnson said, adding, it’s “yet another indication that things are moving in the wrong direction in Ukraine.”
Feb 21, 1:47 pm
Putin told France, Germany he intends to sign decree recognizing separatist regions: Kremlin
Shortly before he was set to speak to the Russian people, Russian President Vladimir Putin informed French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz via phone that he intends to sign a decree recognizing the two separatist regions in eastern Ukraine, the Kremlin said in a statement to Russian media.
The Kremlin said Putin informed them about the “outcomes” of his security council meeting and noted that the separatist “republic” had sent appeals asking for recognition due to unverified reports of “military aggression by the Ukrainian government, with massive shelling of the territory of Donbas, as a result of which the civilian population is suffering.”
This comes amid a barrage of false reports from Russia and the separatists of supposed Ukrainian attacks. In the last few days, Russia has also made dubious claims of shells falling on Russian territory as Russia builds a pretext for a possible attack on Ukraine, under the guise of coming to the aid of the separatists.
Scholz condemned the plans to recognize the separatist regions, a spokesperson said, calling it a “stark contradiction to the Minsk Agreements for the peaceful settlement of the conflict in eastern Ukraine” and “a unilateral breach of these agreements on the part of Russia.”
“During the talks, the [German] Chancellor called on the President of the Russian Federation to immediately de-escalate and withdraw the amassed forces from the border with Ukraine,” the spokesperson said.
Feb 21, 12:40 pm
Putin to address Russian people
The Kremlin said Russian President Vladimir Putin will make a national TV address shortly. This comes after Putin said he would decide today whether to recognize Russia-backed separatist regions in eastern Ukraine.
Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, said, in response to Putin’s possibly recognizing the separatist regions, he has convened his national security council and has held “urgent consultations” with the presidents of France and Germany.
France and Germany are the guarantors of the Minsk agreement and the Normandy Format, which all sides agree Russia will exit if it recognizes the separatist regions.
Feb 21, 10:51 am
Putin says he’ll decide today whether to recognize Russian-controlled separatist regions
Russian President Vladimir Putin said at a national security council meeting that he will make a decision today whether to recognize the Russian-controlled separatist regions in Ukraine as independent.
This came after Putin called an unplanned meeting of his national security council and, in an unusual move, broadcast the meeting live on state TV. The security council unanimously advised Putin he should recognize the self-proclaimed People’s Republic of Donetsk and Lugansk. That would open a path to Russia annexing them, as it did Crimea in 2014.
Feb 21, 10:42 am
Biden meeting with national security team
President Joe Biden is meeting Monday with his national security team, the White House confirmed.
Seen arriving at the White House shortly after 10 a.m. were: Chairman of the Joint Chiefs Gen. Mark Milley, Vice President Kamala Harris, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and CIA director William Burns.
Feb 21, 9:37 am
Russia claims to destroy 2 Ukrainian armored vehicles amid fears of pretext to attack
Russia has claimed to have destroyed two Ukrainian armored vehicles and killed five Ukrainians it claimed crossed into Russian territory, in unverified reports as Russia appears to be intensifying efforts to build a pretext to attack Ukraine.
Russia’s military and its FSB intelligence service claimed a Ukrainian “sabotage and reconnaissance group” was detected Monday morning near a village close to the border in the Rostov region that neighbors the two Russian-controlled separatist regions in eastern Ukraine.
Ukraine has denied the Russian claim and it comes amid a barrage of false reports and staged videos from Russia and the separatists of supposed Ukrainian attacks. In the past three days, Russia has also made dubious claims of shells falling on Russian territory as Russia builds a pretext for a possible attack on Ukraine, under the guise of coming to the aid of the separatists.
Ukrainian foreign minister Dmytryo Kuleba publicly denied the Russian claims, on Twitter calling Russia a “fake-producing factory.”
-ABC News’ Patrick Reevell
Feb 21, 9:19 am
Leader of Russian-backed separatists calls on Putin to recognize separatist regions as independent: Russian media
The head of the Russian-controlled separatists in eastern Ukraine is calling on Russian President Vladimir Putin to recognize the separatist regions as independent of Ukraine, Russian media is reporting.
Denis Pushilin, the leader of the self-proclaimed People’s Republic of Donetsk, is also asking Putin to consider making a treaty on mutual military defense.
Recognition would open a path to Russia potentially annexing the regions and possibly openly sending troops there.
The Russian parliament last week voted to appeal to Putin to recognize the two separatist self-proclaimed republics, though Putin initially signaled he wouldn’t do so immediately.
The two self-proclaimed separatist People’s Republics of Donetsk and Lugansk were formed after Russia stoked conflict in the Russian-speaking region of Donbas in 2014, sending troops in covertly to help establish the regions.
In the last week Russia and the separatist regions have dramatically escalated tensions, accusing Ukraine of an imminent attack and building a pretext for Russian intervention.
-ABC News’ Patrick Reevell
Feb 21, 8:33 am
Likelihood of diplomatic solution ‘diminishing hour by hour’
National security adviser Jake Sullivan told ABC News’ “Good Morning America” Monday that President Joe Biden is prepared in principle to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin if there is no invasion, but that unfortunately, an invasion still seems likely.
“President Biden made clear all along he’s prepared either way. He’s prepared to engage in high level diplomacy to resolve this peacefully and he’s equally prepared to rally our allies and partners to impose costs and consequences on Russia should they choose to invade,” Sullivan said.
“He indicated to the French president yesterday in principle he would be prepared to meet with Putin if President Putin stood down from his invasion,” Sullivan said. “We can’t say anything other than indications on the ground look like Russia is still moving forward.”
Sullivan indicated the window for diplomacy will remain open until more significant military action is seen, but that the window gets smaller as time goes on.
“We never give up hope on diplomacy until the missiles fly or the tanks roll,” Sullivan said. “We’ve been working hard for months with our allies and partners to get Russia to sit down in a serious way at the table, even as recently as yesterday the president indicated his readiness to do that. Russia has not shown the same kind of willingness on their side. The likelihood there’s a diplomatic solution given the troop movements of the Russians is diminishing hour by hour.”
Asked if sanctions will be enough to stop Russia without sending U.S. forces to Ukraine, Sullivan said the U.S. is determined to impose sanctions in the long-term to strangle Russia’s ambitions without the use of ground forces.
-ABC News’ Sarah Kolinovsky
Feb 21, 5:27 am
Talk of Biden-Putin summit ‘premature,’ Kremlin says
The Kremlin has said it is still “premature” to talk about a summit between President Joe Biden and President Vladimir Putin, though it didn’t rule out that one could take place.
White House press secretary Jen Psaki on Sunday said Biden and Putin have agreed “in principle” to meet, provided Russia did not invade Ukraine.
French President Emmanuel Macron announced the possibility of a meeting after speaking with both leaders on Sunday, amid intense diplomatic efforts to try to dissuade Putin from launching an invasion the U.S. fears could come this week.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that for now there’s only an agreement for Russia and the U.S. to speak at a lower level, between U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Sergei Lavrov, the Russian foreign minister. That meeting is scheduled for this week.
Peskov seemed to suggest that an agreement on a meeting between Biden and Putin would depend on the outcome of those talks.
“I can say that an understanding has been reached that we need to continue the dialogue at the level of ministers,” Peskov told reporters on Monday. “But to talk about some kind of concrete plans about organizing any summits is for now premature.”
Contacts between Biden and Putin can be arranged quickly, if necessary, he said.
-ABC News’ Patrick Reevell
Feb 20, 10:28 pm
US alleges Russia making list of Ukrainians ‘to be killed or sent to camps’
The United States has obtained information of potential Russian operations against Ukrainian targets as part of a potential invasion, including targeted killings, kidnappings, detentions and torture, the U.S. alleged in a letter to the United Nations obtained by ABC News.
“We have credible information that indicates Russian forces are creating lists of identified Ukrainians to be killed or sent to camps following a military occupation,” U.S. Ambassador Bathsheba Nell Crocker wrote to Michelle Bachelet, the U.N. high commissioner for human rights.
That includes the “likely use” of lethal measures to “disperse peaceful protesters or otherwise counter peaceful exercises of perceived resistance from civilian populations,” Crocker wrote.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken alluded to this during his remarks to the U.N. Security Council on Thursday, telling his fellow diplomats, “Conventional attacks are not all that Russia plans to inflict upon the people of Ukraine. We have information that indicates Russia will target specific groups of Ukrainians.”
In addition, sources told ABC News last Tuesday that the U.S. believed Russia aimed to move into Kyiv to decapitate the Ukrainian government and install their own.
But this new letter goes further, saying Russia “would likely target those who opposes Russian actions, including Russian and Belarusian dissidents in exile in Ukraine, journalists and anti-corruption activists, and vulnerable populations such as religious and ethnic minorities and LGBTQI+ persons.”
Ambassador Michele Sison, the top U.S. diplomat for international organizations, is headed to Geneva this week to meet Bachelet at the U.N. headquarters there, the State Department announced Sunday.
“The United States is gravely concerned that a further Russian invasion of Ukraine would produce widespread human suffering. In light of OHCHR’s important mandate and its reporting presence in Ukraine, we wish to share this information with you as an early warning that a further Russian invasion of Ukraine may create a human rights catastrophe,” Crocker added in the letter.
-ABC News’ Conor Finnegan
Feb 20, 8:46 pm
Biden, Putin agree to summit
U.S. President Joe Biden and Russian President Vladimir Putin have agreed to hold a summit proposed by French President Emmanuel Macron. The leaders both accepted the summit “in principle,” with one major condition: that Russia does not invade Ukraine.
“As the president has repeatedly made clear, we are committed to pursuing diplomacy until the moment an invasion begins,” White House press secretary Jen Psaki said in a statement Sunday evening.
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov are set to meet Thursday. During their meeting, they will prepare “the substance” of the summit, according to a statement from the French government. Macron “will work with all stakeholders to prepare the content of these discussions” as well.
Macron spoke with Putin twice Sunday, both before and after he called Biden for a brief 15-minute phone call.
“We are always ready for diplomacy,” Psaki said. “We are also ready to impose swift and severe consequences should Russia instead choose war. And currently, Russia appears to be continuing preparations for a full-scale assault on Ukraine very soon.”
-ABC News’ Justin Gomez
Feb 20, 7:49 pm
US State Department gives more info on Moscow safety alert
A State Department spokesperson said the alert published Sunday warning Americans to avoid crowds and stay alert in places frequented by tourists and Westerners was issued “out of an abundance of caution,” stopping short of tying it directly to the Russia-Ukraine crisis.
“In recent days a number of Russian media outlets have reported on a spate of bomb threats being made against Russian public buildings, including metro stations, in Moscow, St. Petersburg, and elsewhere,” the spokesperson said in a statement.
“The U.S. Department of State has no greater responsibility than the safety and security of U.S. citizens overseas,” they said. “Out of an abundance of caution, and in line with our commitment to providing U.S. citizens with clear and timely information so they can make informed travel decisions, we published this alert.”
(NEW YORK) — The United States continues to warn that Russia could invade Ukraine “any day” amid escalating tensions in the region, with President Joe Biden telling reporters Friday he’s “convinced” Russian President Vladimir Putin has decided to invade.
More diplomacy seemed possible, though, with Biden agreeing “in principle” Sunday to meet with Putin, as long as Russia didn’t invade. But the Kremlin on Monday said talk of a summit was “premature.”
In an address to the Russian public on Monday evening, Putin announced he is recognizing the independence of two Russia-backed separatist areas in eastern Ukraine’s Donbas region: the self-proclaimed People’s Republics of Donetsk and Luhansk, or DNR and LNR.
The U.S. swiftly responded to Putin’s announcement with sanctions. The White House said Biden will issue an executive order banning “new investment, trade, and financing by U.S. persons to, from, or in the so-called DNR and LNR regions of Ukraine.” The order “will also provide authority to impose sanctions on any person determined to operate in those areas of Ukraine,” according to White House press secretary Jen Psaki, who said the U.S. “will also soon announce additional measures related to today’s blatant violation of Russia’s international commitments.”
While the U.S. says some 190,000 Russian troops and separatist forces are estimated to be massed near Ukraine’s borders, Russia has denied any plans to invade and reiterated its demands that the U.S. and NATO bar Ukraine from joining the military alliance.
Here’s how the news is developing Tuesday. All times Eastern:
Feb 22, 7:40 am
Germany halts approval of pipeline as part of sanctions against Russia
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz announced Tuesday that his country will halt its approval of the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline connecting Germany to Russia, in response to Russia’s recognition of two separatist areas in eastern Ukraine and amid fear of further possible aggression.
“The situation today is fundamentally different,” Scholz said at a press conference in Berlin.
Scholz said he has asked Germany’s Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action to take a step that blocks certification of the Nord Stream 2. That means the pipeline, which is already built, cannot go into operation for now.
The Nord Stream 2 linking Russia to Europe by circumventing Ukraine has been highly controversial, with Germany accused of allowing Russia to construct a geopolitical weapon enabling Moscow to pressure Europe using gas supplies. Last year, Ukraine and the United States were pushing to stop the project but Germany refused.
The decision to halt the pipeline’s certification serves as a major sanction against Russia amid growing fears of an invasion of neighboring Ukraine and immense pressure on Germany to act. Earlier Tuesday, Ukrainian President Zelenskyy called on Germany to include the Nord Stream 2 in Europe’s sanctions on Russia.
“At this stage, in addition to initial sanctions, it is now important to prevent further escalation and thus another catastrophe,” Scholz said. “That is what all our diplomatic efforts are aimed at.”
The move may amount to a huge blow to Russia, which has already stoked a gas crunch in Europe by having its state-owned energy company Gazprom deliver the bare minimum of gas despite severe shortages. Gazprom has continued to do that in recent weeks and could go further, and Germany is particularly vulnerable. During a press conference last week, Scholz repeatedly refused to explicitly say if he would be willing to halt the Nord Stream 2.
However, by suspending the pipeline’s certification, Germany dangles the possibility it could be resumed if Russia doesn’t make further aggressions against Ukraine. It’s unclear how Russia will respond to a continent that it knows is overly reliant on Russian energy.
Feb 22, 7:12 am
Ukraine doesn’t believe Russia will mount ‘large-scale’ invasion
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Tuesday he won’t introduce martial law for now because his government doesn’t believe that Russia will mount a “large-scale” invasion.
“We believe that there won’t be a war, a powerful one, against Ukraine and there won’t be a large-scale escalation from Russia,” Zelenskyy said during a joint press conference in Kyiv with his Estonian counterpart. “If there will be, we will impose martial law.”
Zelenskyy also revealed that he’s considering breaking off diplomatic relations with Russia over its recognition of two Russia-backed separatist areas in eastern Ukraine’s Donbas region. He said a proposal to do so has been put forward by the Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which he said he’s looking at it but has not yet made a decision.
The Ukrainian president also called for Western countries to impose sanctions fast against Russia, saying the situation is developing “very quickly” and that the “first steps” of Moscow’s aggression have already been made. Zelenskyy said sanctions should include fully stopping the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline connecting Russia to Germany.
“The reaction must as quick,” he noted. “Sanctions policy is more a powerful policy which can really have an effect on the probable escalation from Russia. Don’t wait for it to happen, because already the first steps of this aggression are done. We believe that legally the aggression has already been done.”
Feb 22, 7:01 am
Kremlin calls Western reaction ‘predictable’
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Tuesday that the reaction of Western countries to Russia’s recognition of two Russia-backed separatist areas in eastern Ukraine is “predictable.”
“As for the reaction, it was predictable, foreseeable,” Peskov told reporters during a daily call. “We will continue to work and to patiently put across our arguments.”
Peskov also claimed not to know anything about possible deployments of Russian “peacekeepers” into the areas overnight and made a comment that suggested the Kremlin may consider the legitimate territory of the separatists to include large parts of eastern Ukraine currently not in their control.
Separatists in the self-declared People’s Republics of Donetsk and Luhansk only hold about a third of the territory they claim in eastern Ukraine’s Donbas region. The fear is Russia might now back those claims and use it as a pretext to make a larger land grab and destroy Ukrainian forces.
Speaking to reporters Tuesday, Peskov said the Kremlin recognizes the separatist areas “in those borders which they have declared for themselves, when these two republics were declared.”
But when asked to clarify, Peskov added: “In those borders, in which they exist and were declared. And were declared and exist.”
When pressed if that meant within the “present borders” of the separatist areas, Peskov refused to answer, saying he had nothing more to add.
Peskov also said that Russia’s recognition of the areas means the issue of the Minsk agreement is “now off the agenda.” He said any negotiations going forward will focus only on Russia’s demands for security guarantees that Ukraine not join NATO.
Peskov noted that the United States has not contacted the Kremlin since Russian President Vladimir Putin announced Monday his recognition of the two separatist areas as independent, but that Moscow was “open to diplomatic contacts.”
What happens next, he said, is “up to our opponents.”
Feb 22, 6:09 am
Russian parliament ratifies friendship treaty with separatists areas of eastern Ukraine
Russia’s parliament voted Tuesday to ratify a friendship treaty with two Russia-backed separatist areas in eastern Ukraine.
Lawmakers also added an amendment that brings the Treaty of Friendship into force immediately. The treaty includes a mutual defense pact, which establishes that Russian troops will jointly guard the borders of the self-proclaimed People’s Republics of Donetsk and Luhansk, in a breakaway region of eastern Ukraine known as Donbas.
Lawmakers were still discussing the decrees that Russian President Vladimir Putin signed on Monday night recognizing the two areas as independent. Both the upper and lower chambers of Russia’s parliament are expected to vote soon on whether to ratify the orders.
It remains unclear exactly what borders Russia will recognize for the areas. Separatist leaders of the self-declared People’s Republics of Donetsk and Luhansk want to control all of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions in Donbas. But they currently only have about a third, with the rest controlled by Ukraine.
Some Russian officials have suggested Moscow may adopt the position that the separatist areas should include the entire Donetsk and Luhansk regions, thus raising fears that Russian troops will use force to expand the borders.
Feb 22, 5:49 am
Top Russian officials dismiss the West’s sanctions
Top Russian officials on Tuesday morning dismissed new sanctions being imposed by Western countries for Moscow’s recognition of the separatist areas in eastern Ukraine.
In an interview with state-owned television channel Russia-24, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said the country was already “used to” sanctions and that more would be imposed regardless of what Moscow does.
“That our [Western] colleagues are trying to push the blame on Russia for the failure of the Minsk agreements, we also understand,” Lavrov said. “Our European, American, British colleagues won’t stop and won’t calm down as long as they haven’t exhausted their possibilities for the so-called punishment of Russia.”
“They already threaten all possible sanctions. Hellish, or as they say there, ‘the mother of all sanctions,'” he added. “Well, we’re used to this. The president already noted our position, we know that sanctions will be introduced all the same, in any case. With a basis, without a basis.”
Meanwhile, the speaker of Russia’s parliament, Vyacheslav Volodin, echoed Lavrov’s sentiments during an ongoing session of the lower house, known as the State Duma.
“Yes, sanctions hinder our development. But they would happen anyway. They would happen anyway even if that decision hadn’t been taken,” Volodin told lawmakers, adding that there are “more important problems.”
“Yesterday, our president stopped a war,” he said. “It’s not a question of territory — it’s a question of the lives of millions of citizens.”
Feb 22, 5:10 am
US embassy staff return to Ukraine after spending night in Poland
U.S. embassy staff who remained in Ukraine will return to the country on Tuesday after spending the night in Poland amid fears of a Russian invasion, a senior U.S. official told ABC News.
Personnel will return to the city of Lviv in western Ukraine, where they had relocated operations from the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv. But they are poised to move back to Poland at any point, the official said.
Feb 22, 4:58 am
Russia-backed separatists claim Ukraine is still staging attacks
Russia-backed separatists in eastern Ukraine have continued to accuse Ukrainian government forces of attacks.
The separatists in a breakaway region known as Donbas made another unverified claim Tuesday morning that three civilians were killed by a roadside bomb.
Separatist leaders posted photographs of a burned-out minivan on a road in their territory that they alleged was the vehicle blown up by a Ukrainian “diversionary group.” The claim is unverified and resembles other allegations that have been rapidly debunked.
Meanwhile, a top separatist military commander accused Ukrainian government forces of continuing to shell the area.
The latest claims raise the possibility that Russia is still building a pretext to launch an attack on Ukrainian government troops, even after recognizing the self-proclaimed People’s Republics of Donetsk and Luhansk as independent.
Feb 22, 4:33 am
‘World cannot be silent,’ Ukrainian defense minister warns
Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov took to Twitter early Tuesday to dismiss Moscow’s recognition of the Russian-controlled breakaway areas in eastern Ukraine, saying the move amounts only to a recognition of the Kremlin’s “own aggression.”
“We remain confident and calm,” Reznikov tweeted. “We are ready and able to defend ourselves and our sovereignty.”
But he also issued a warning: “World cannot be silent.”
“Sanctions?” he tweeted. “Another brick in the wall? New Berlin Wall?”
Feb 22, 2:54 am
Putin’s recognition of separatists’ independence is ‘shameful act,’ Blinken says
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken early Tuesday called Russia’s move to recognize separatist regions in Ukraine as independent a “predictable” act.
“Russia’s move to recognize the ‘independence’ of so-called republics controlled by its own proxies is a predictable, shameful act,” he said on Twitter.
Blinken is scheduled to meet Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba in Washington on Tuesday.
Feb 22, 2:03 am
Blinken speaks with Ukraine’s Kuleba ahead of Tuesday meeting
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken spoke by phone on Monday with Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba, noting the Biden administration’s “swift response” to Russia’s decision to recognize Ukraine’s separatists’ regions as independent.
“They discussed the strong measures we announced today in response and reiterated that additional steps would be forthcoming,” State Department spokesperson Ned Price said in a statement late Monday.
Blinken and Kuleba are scheduled to meet on Tuesday in Washington.
Kuleba earlier said he spoke with Blinken about sanctions.
“I underscored the need to impose tough sanctions on Russia in response to its illegal actions,” Kuleba said on Twitter.
Feb 21, 11:58 pm
Ukrainian envoy says UN is infected with ‘virus’ spread by Kremlin
After the Russian envoy spoke at the U.N. Security Council’s emergency meeting Tuesday night, Ukraine’s envoy began his remarks by saying he was afraid to take off his mask not because of COVID-19 but “because of the virus that has so far no vaccine — the virus that hates the United Nations and the virus that is spread by the Kremlin.”
That “virus” has infected the U.N. and threatens to kill it, Ambassador Sergiy Kyslytsya said in a stark warning.
“The United Nations is sick, that’s a matter of fact,” he said. “It’s been hit by the virus spread by the Kremlin. Will it succumb to this virus? It is in the hands of the membership.”
Kyslytsya warned it’s not just the U.N. that he believes is under threat. During his remarks, he held up a paper that had a copy of the Kremlin’s decree recognizing Russian-backed “breakaway” provinces from Georgia in 2008 and the decree issued Monday recognizing the separatist Donetsk and Luhansk, showing how they’re almost the exact same.
“Copy, paste. Copy, paste. No creativity whatsoever. The copying machine in the Kremlin works very well. Who is next among the members of the United Nations? The question is open,” he said.
Kyslytsya demanded that Russia “cancel” and remove “additional Russian occupation troops” in Ukrainian territory, and he insisted, “The internationally recognized borders of Ukraine have been and will remain unchangeable regardless of any statements and actions by the Russian Federation.”
“We are committed to a peaceful and diplomatic path, and we will stay firmly on it. We are on our land. We are not afraid of anything or anyone. We owe nothing to anyone, and we will not give away anything to anyone,” he said.
Feb 21, 11:48 pm
Ukraine highlights importance of global response to Russia
Ukraine called for “painful sanctions” against Russia in a statement released by its foreign ministry, noting that how the world responds may greatly influence Russia’s next move.
“Further decisions and steps of the Russian Federation largely depend on the world’s reaction to today’s events,” the statement read. “Therefore, we insist on imposing painful sanctions against Russia in order to send a clear signal of the inadmissibility of further escalation. It is time to act to end Russia’s aggression and restore peace and stability in Europe.”
The country reiterated that it is ready to defend itself, stating that it “understands Russia’s intentions and its desire to provoke Ukraine. We take into account all risks and do not succumb to provocations.”
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba is currently in Washington and meets with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Tuesday.
Feb 21, 11:21 pm
Russian envoy dismisses criticisms, blames Ukraine in Security Council meeting
In remarks during an emergency U.N. Security Council meeting Tuesday, Russian Ambassador Vasily Nebenzia dismissed “highly emotional” criticisms of Russia and said nothing has changed on the ground, while also blaming Ukraine for the decisions President Vladimir Putin’s decisions made earlier in the day.
Nebenzia dismissed “unfounded panic about an impending Russian invasion of Ukraine” — as Russian troops prepare to come across the border — and painted Russia as a pacifist hero that welcomed refugees who were forced onto buses by Russian-led separatists.
“We’ve just heard a number of highly emotional statements, categorical assessments, and far-reaching conclusions,” he said during the emergency meeting. “I’ll leave the direct verbal assaults against us unanswered. Now it’s important to focus on how to avoid war and how to force Ukraine to stop the shelling and provocations against Donetsk and Luhansk.”
Russian-controlled separatists are responsible for the shelling and for staging the provocations, but Nebenzia worked to portray Ukraine as the aggressor and Russia as the force preventing war, despite it essentially seizing Ukrainian territory.
