This was after Putin declared that he would send “peacekeeping forces” into Ukraine’s eastern regions. After Putin officially recognized rebel-held Luhansk, Donetsk areas as separate from Ukraine, the Biden administration quickly imposed new sanctions against Russia Monday evening — a move that was criticized by many countries as violating both international law as well as Ukraine’s sovereignty.
In a written statement, Oleksii Reznikov, Ukraine’s Minister for Defense, stated that “the darkness of uncertainty” had fallen. “The Kremlin took another step towards the revival Soviet Union… There will be difficult challenges ahead. There will be losses. We will need to endure pain, overcome fear, and despair.”
The Russian Foreign Ministry announced Tuesday that it will soon evacuate its Ukrainian embassy staff “to protect their lives, safety,” claiming that Russian consulates in Ukraine and the Russian embassy had been subject to “repeated attacks”.
The West’s response to Putin’s growing aggression against Ukraine is risky in its own right: The U.S., its allies, and their diplomats are on a tightrope trying to keep diplomatic efforts afloat and prevent Putin from seizing yet another slice of eastern European democracy for Russia.
Western leaders warned that Russia’s failure to negotiate with them could result in the bloodiest conflict in Europe since World War II. This would also send already-high energy costs skyrocketing, which would threaten the economies of Washington and Kyiv.
A calculated response to “acts of war”
Didier Reynders, European Commissioner for Justice, called Russia’s unilateral declarations of Donetsk and Luhnask independence — and Putin’s decision to send so–called peacekeeping troops into the breakaway areas — “acts of war.”
U.S. U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Linda Thomas Greenfield dismissed the idea that Russia was conducting any peacekeeping mission there as “nonsense.”
During an emergency meeting of U.N. Security Council, she stated that “we know what they are.” She claimed that Russia was trying “to create a pretext to a further invasion in Ukraine.”
A spokesperson for the U.S. State Department stated that they will continue to consult their allies and partners over the next hours about the best way forward. “We are determined to find a diplomatic solution that avoids a costly and brutal conflict. Diplomacy can’t succeed unless Russia changes its course.”
The Biden administration pulled out of plans for Antony Blinken, Secretary of State, to meet directly with Sergey Lavrov on Thursday. Blinken stated Tuesday that the meeting, which was supposed to help establish the foundation for a diplomatic solution, would not take place now that the invasion is underway.
Blinken stated, “It doesn’t make sense to continue with that meeting at the moment.”
Europe is preparing new sanctions
On Tuesday, European nations, some of which rely on Russian natural gas to heat their homes, attempted to unite.
Germany made a major move to stop the certification of the new ” NordStream 2” pipe, which is a multi-billion-dollar project that will double the gas flow from Russia to Germany. Gazprom, Russia’s state-backed energy firm, owns the pipeline. The controversial project would have Kyiv pay for transit of Russian gas to Western Europe.
The U.S. has been opposed to Germany switching on the line for many years, claiming that it would increase Russia’s dependency on Russia for energy and give Russia more leverage over Europe.
Boris Johnson, the British Prime Minister, promised to “immediately implement a package of economic sanctions against Russia” and representatives from other major EU countries were scheduled to meet in Paris to discuss this.
Johnson stated in London that “this is, I should emphasize, only the first barrage U.K. economic sanctions to Russia”. Johnson added, “We expect, I’m afraid…, that more Russian irrational behaviour will come.”
The actions of Russia in Ukraine were called “incredibly serious” by Ben Wallace, the U.K. Defense Secretary.
“This is a sovereign country that has had some of its land taken from it. Wallace stated that this is a sovereign country in Europe that is democratic. All of Europe should be concerned. We should not be afraid to take any action necessary to stop President Putin from undermining NATO and Europe, as well as our values.
Reynders, the EU’s spokesperson, said Tuesday that “Everything is on-the table” about the possible sanctions the bloc would impose.
Although the West has been threatening Putin and his government for months with sanctions, they have not stopped him from moving steadily towards another invasion of Ukraine.
