This afternoon, Putin officially annexed Ukraine’s occupied regions into Russia. US President Joe Biden swiftly responded with new sanctions.
This afternoon, Vladimir Putin made official his decision to annex the occupied territories in Ukraine into the Russian Federation. This decision came after the results of the sham referendums held in the conquered regions of Ukraine last week. As expected, all the four regions in question -Donetsk, Luhanks, Zaporizhzhya and Kherson- “strongly agreed” for annexation into Russia.
This vote was far from legitimate, and not even close allies of Russia such as Serbia and Kazakhstan recognize the results of the referendums. Several reports show that Ukrainian civilians were held at gunpoint while the Russian military went door to door with ballot sheets.
Today, following Putin’s speech, American president Joe Biden spoke against Russia’s actions. “The United States condemns Russia’s fraudulent attempt today to annex sovereign Ukrainian territory. Russia is violating international law, trampling on the United Nations Charter, and showing its contempt for peaceful nations everywhere,” Biden said. He also urged the international community to refuse the legitimacy of the referendums, a call that many nations immediately followed.
Then, Joe Biden announced new strong sanctions against Russian entities and individuals. He also announced that G7 nations will meet to arrange an even bigger economical response against Russia.
Meanwhile, Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky formally asked NATO to include Ukraine into the alliance. He demanded a fast procedure as, according to him, Kyiv already basically is a part of NATO given the military support they’re receiving. In response, Joe Biden announced $1.1 dollars more in armaments to be sent to Ukraine.
What is the nature of the sanctions
The quick and immediate sanctions the US announced following the illegal annexation aimed at international organizations that supply Russia with weapons. Specifically, 57 entities were added to the banned import/export list, isolating Russia even more.
Furthermore, another important Russian official was hit by US sanctions. This time, it is the turn of Elvira Nabiullina, president of Russia’s Central Bank since 2013. Her job has been crucial for Moscow ever since economic sanctions kept hitting Russia after the invasion of Crimea in 2014.
She is also an important advisor to Putin himself, keeping Russia’s economy afloat with interest rates hikes, nationalizations and capital controls. Now she has officially been sanctioned by the US Treasury Department.
Other officials sanctioned by the US include Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu and Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin. They have been sanctioned since the invasion started, but today Biden also added their family to the list.
These new measures are likely only the beginning. As we saw many times now, every new package of sanctions starts directly with individuals and organizations, leaving the details and more “concrete” measures for a future decision.
