The United States said Tuesday that Russia’s move into eastern Ukraine amounts to the “beginning of an invasion” and warned that “severe” sanctions would be announced shortly. The stern message followed an initially more hesitant response from the White House to Russian President Vladimir Putin’s recognition of two rebel-held enclaves in Ukraine as independent, along with reluctance to say that “invasion” was underway after Putin ordered troops there. For weeks, the United States and its […]
Tag: Ukraine
Oil nears $100 as West prepares Russian sanctions
Oil prices surged close to $100 per barrel Tuesday as major crude producer Russia prepared to send troops into two breakaway regions of Ukraine, sparking Western nations to ready economic sanctions against Moscow. After heavy falls at the open, European stocks edged into positive territory as the Kremlin said it remained open to all diplomatic contact over Ukraine. “The old adage goes that the market hates uncertainty and while that has clearly been evident at […]
Putin says he does not plan to ‘restore empire’
MOSCOW, Russia (AFP) — Russian President Vladimir Putin said Tuesday that he does not plan to restore Russia’s empire, a day after he ordered Russian troops to be sent to eastern Ukraine and questioned Ukraine’s sovereignty. “We predicted speculation that Russia plans to restore (its) empire within imperial borders,” Putin said at a meeting with Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev in the Kremlin, adding: “This absolutely does not correspond with reality”. On Monday, Putin recognized the […]
UN relocates non-essential staff, families in Ukraine
GENEVA, Switzerland (AFP) — The United Nations said Tuesday it was relocating some of its non-essential staff and their family members in Ukraine, amid growing fears of an all-out Russian invasion. “We are committed to stay and to continue delivering in Ukraine, especially in eastern Ukraine,” UN spokeswoman Alessandra Vellucci told reporters in Geneva. “We continue to be fully operational.” She acknowledged though that “as a result of the evolving situation on the ground, we […]
EU warns of economic uncertainty after Russia’s Ukraine moves
BRUSSELS, Belgium (AFP) — Russia’s recognition of breakaway regions of Ukraine will “strongly increase” economic uncertainty for the EU, the bloc’s economy commissioner Paolo Gentiloni said on Tuesday. “Uncertainty remains around us. And the violation of international law through Russian recognition of two separatist territories in Ukraine will strongly increase this uncertainty,” Gentiloni told a Brussels conference. Gentiloni was speaking as EU ambassadors met to agree on sanctions against Russia for its recognition a […]
UK promises to hit Russia ‘very hard’ with sanctions
LONDON, United Kingdom (AFP) — Britain on Tuesday vowed to “hit Russia very hard” with targeted sanctions and promised tougher measures in the event of a full-scale invasion, after the Kremlin ordered troops into two Moscow-backed rebel regions of Ukraine. After an early morning meeting with security chiefs, Prime Minister Boris Johnson promised to reveal a “first barrage of UK economic sanctions against Russia” in parliament later. “They will hit Russia very hard and there […]
US to impose ‘new sanctions’ on Russia Tuesday: W.House
by Sebastian Smith WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — The United States said it will impose sanctions on Moscow Tuesday, following an initially cautious response to President Vladimir Putin’s order for Russian troops to deploy in two Kremlin-backed separatist areas of Ukraine. “We plan to announce new sanctions on Russia tomorrow in response to Moscow’s decisions and actions today. We are coordinating with allies and partners on that announcement,” a White House spokesperson told AFP on […]
US to announce Russia sanctions after initial caution on Ukraine
by Sebastian Smith The United States said it will impose sanctions on Moscow Tuesday, following an initially cautious response to President Vladimir Putin’s order for Russian troops to deploy in two Kremlin-backed separatist areas of Ukraine. “We plan to announce new sanctions on Russia tomorrow in response to Moscow’s decisions and actions today. We are coordinating with allies and partners on that announcement,” a White House spokesperson told AFP on Monday. This came after President Joe […]
Price of WTI crude oil up 3% as Ukraine crisis intensifies
New York’s West Texas Intermediate crude contract rose more than three percent on Tuesday as Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered troops to deploy in separatist areas of Ukraine. WTI Crude rose 3.14 percent to $93.93 per barrel in early Asian trade, while Europe’s benchmark Brent North Sea crude was up 1.98 percent at $95.39 per barrel. kaf/ssy © Agence France-Presse
US cautious on whether Russian troops to Donbass equals invasion
The United States took a wait-and-see attitude Monday to President Vladimir Putin’s order for Russian troops to deploy in separatist areas of Ukraine, saying that talks remain possible “until the tanks roll.” President Joe Biden imposed sanctions on the two Russian-backed areas in eastern Ukraine’s Donbass region. But a senior US official declined to characterize whether Putin’s order for Russian armed forces to conduct “peacekeeping” there counts as an invasion, thereby triggering much wider […]
Ukrainian President seeks ‘clear support’ from West versus Russia
KYIV, Ukraine (AFP) — Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky on Tuesday demanded “clear support” from the West after Russia recognized two eastern separatist regions and then ordered in troops to back up their independence claims. In an address delivered after urgent consultations with world leaders, Zelensky said Ukraine was “not afraid of anything or anyone”, calling the Kremlin’s step “a violation of the sovereignty and territorial integrity” of the former Soviet state. © Agence France-Presse
Biden told Zelensky US committed to Ukraine’s ‘territorial integrity’: W.House
WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — President Joe Biden told his Ukrainian counterpart Voldymyr Zelensky on Monday that the United States stands by Ukraine’s territorial integrity after Russia said it was recognizing the independence of a swath of eastern Ukraine. In a phone call, Biden spoke “to reaffirm the commitment of the United States to Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity,” the White House said. Biden also “updated President Zelensky on the United States’ response, including our […]





