U.S. President Joe Biden imposed sanctions on the self-proclaimed DPR and LPR after his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin had formally recognized their independence on February 21. The corresponding order was published on the website of the White House.
"Recognition of the so-called Donetsk People’s Republic (DNR) or Luhansk People’s Republic (LNR) regions of Ukraine contradicts Russia’s commitments under the Minsk agreements and further threatens the peace, stability, sovereignty, and territorial integrity of Ukraine, and thereby constitutes a extraordinary threat to the national security and foreign policy of the United States," the document states.
What is provided by the sanctions:
- Americans are prohibited from investing in the L/DPR or conducting any financial activity there;
- the U.S. citizens are prohibited from importing into the U.S. any goods, technology, or services from these regions;
- it is prohibited to export goods, services, or technologies from the USA to the self-proclaimed republics;
- property (or interests in property) belonging to persons associated with the so-called ORDLO (Covered) republics and located in the United States will be blocked.
White House Press secretary Jen Psaki stressed that these restrictive measures "are stand-alone and will be in addition to the swift and stringent economic measures we are preparing in coordination with allies and partners if Russia continues to invade Ukraine."
Context. Recall that on the evening of February 21, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed decrees recognizing the independence of the so-called DPR and LPR. The fourth paragraph in both decrees implies the implementation of the "peacekeeping" functions by Russia on their territory, that is, in other words, the dispatch of Russian troops there.
U.S. President Joe Biden, after Putin's move, had an almost 40-minute conversation with his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelenskyy. The American leader condemned the Kremlin's decision and assured that Washington would swiftly respond to further Russian aggression.
After the conversation with the Ukrainian President, Biden spoke with French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz about a coordinated response.
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