Russian troops entering disputed territories within Ukraine will not amount to an invasion in the eyes of the White House, according to a senior administration official.
President Vladimir Putin recognized two occupied regions, the Luhansk People’s Republic and the Donetsk People’s Republic, as independent from Ukraine earlier on Monday, marking a significant development in the ongoing conflict. Following the decision, the Russian leader ordered a “peacekeeping operation” in those regions.
The White House, as a result of Russia’s move to recognize the occupied regions’ independence, said President Joe Biden will unveil sanctions, though not the ones that had been threatened previously for a full-blown invasion.
RUSSIA TO RECOGNIZE TWO SEPARATIST-HELD REGIONS IN EASTERN UKRAINE
“We have anticipated a move like this from Russia and are ready to respond immediately. President Biden will soon issue an Executive Order that will prohibit new investment, trade, and financing by U.S. persons to, from, or in the so-called DNR and LNR regions of Ukraine,” White House press secretary Jen Psaki said in a statement.
“This E.O. will also provide authority to impose sanctions on any person determined to operate in those areas of Ukraine. The Departments of State and Treasury will have additional details shortly,” she added. “We will also soon announce additional measures related to today’s blatant violation of Russia’s international commitments.”
The anonymous official reiterated to reporters that “Russian troops moving into Donbas by itself would not be a new step” because Russian troops have been there since 2014, later noting that Putin’s announcement speech amounted to a way to “justify war” to the Russian people.
Biden spoke with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, French President Emmanuel Macron, and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz following Putin’s Monday announcement and is “continuing to closely consult with Allies and partners, including Ukraine, on next steps and on Russia’s ongoing escalation along the border with Ukraine,” per the White House.
A day earlier, the White House said President Biden would be open to a call with Putin following a Thursday call between senior officials, though the administration official changed their tune, saying they “certainly can’t commit to a meeting that has as a predicate that Russia won’t take military action, when it looks as imminently like they will.”
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Recently, Ambassador Bathsheba Nell Crocker, the U.S. representative to the European office of the United Nations, warned that the Russians had created a list of Ukrainians to kill or imprison following an invasion.
“Specifically, 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,” Crocker wrote in a letter sent to Michelle Bachelet, the U.N. high commissioner for human rights, also noting that they believe it’s “likely” that Russian forces will use “lethal measures to disperse peaceful protests.”
The anonymous official said, “We have been warning individuals and groups who we think could be targeted based on our understanding and our knowledge of Russian plans,” but did not specify who received such alarms.
