Washington
\nPresident Vladimir Putin\u2019s decision to send troops he called peacemakers into breakaway regions of Ukraine did not constitute a further invasion that would trigger a broader sanctions package, a Biden administration official told Reuters on Monday, but the White House believes a full invasion could come at any time.
\nThe United States will continue to pursue diplomacy with Russia until \u201ctanks roll,\u201d another official told reporter.
\nThe Russian president\u2019s recognition of the two breakaway regions as independent and his order to send in troops upped the ante with the West over Ukraine.
\nThe White House announced after Putin\u2019s announcement that it would prevent US investment in those breakaway areas and the official who spoke to reporters said additional measures would be announced on Tuesday. But those measures were separate from a wider package of sanctions that Washington has promised to implement with its allies if Russia invades Ukraine.
\nThe first administration official told Reuters sending Russian troops into the separatist regions was not a departure from what Russia had done already, which was why it did not trigger the broader sanctions.
\n\u201cThis isn\u2019t a further invasion since it\u2019s territory that they\u2019ve already occupied,\u201d that official said.
\nThe official speaking to reporters on a conference call said sending Russian troops into the Donbas region in eastern Ukraine was not new.
\n\u201cRussian troops moving into Donbas would not itself be a new step. Russia has had forces in the Donbas region for the past eight years… They are currently now making decisions to do this in a more overt and … open way,\u201d he said.
\nThe United States will continue to pursue diplomatic talks until or unless an invasion occurs, he said. \u201cRussia continues to escalate this crisis that it created in the first place. We\u2019ll continue to pursue diplomacy until the tanks roll, but we are under no illusions about what is likely to come next.\u201d
\nPutin told Russia\u2019s defense ministry to deploy troops into the two regions to \u201ckeep the peace\u201d in a decree issued shortly after he announced recognition for Russia-backed separatists there.
\nPresident Joe Biden condemned Putin\u2019s decision to recognize the regions.
\nBiden sought in January to clarify what the United States would consider an invasion. \u201cIf any, any assembled Russian units move across the Ukrainian border, that is an invasion,\u201d he said.
\nBiden issued an executive order on Monday that White House spokesperson Jen Psaki said would \u201cprohibit new investment, trade, and financing by US persons to, from, or in the so-called DNR and LNR regions of Ukraine.\u201d
\nThe order will \u201calso provide authority to impose sanctions on any person determined to operate in those areas of Ukraine,\u201d Psaki said.
\n\u201cTo be clear: 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,\u201d she said.
\nAdministration officials cast doubt on whether Biden, who agreed in principle to meet with Putin if Russia did not invade Ukraine, would carry through with that given Moscow\u2019s actions.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Washington President Vladimir Putin\u2019s decision to send troops he called peacemakers into breakaway regions of Ukraine did not constitute a further invasion that would trigger a broader sanctions package, a Biden administration official told Reuters on Monday, but the White House believes a full invasion could come at any time. The United States will continue […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-245966","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-world"},"yoast_head":"\n