Darn that Sudetenland. "The United Nations Security Council, whose rotating presidency is held by Russia this month, met Monday night on the Ukraine crisis." That couple of million dollars invested in 2016’s GOP including the editing of their party platform goes a long way. Putin in his speech insisted on a fallacy about linguistic nationalism made more ridiculous by the pervasive bilingualism of Ukraine. It simply reduces his actions to simplistic land-grabbing in the context of soviet nostalgia and an oligarchic cult of personality. “Roughly 77.5% of Ukraine's population identify as ethnic Ukrainians. The second largest nationality group are Russians, accounting for 17.2% of the population”
White House press secretary Jen Psaki said Biden will soon sign an executive order prohibiting U.S. investment and trade in the Ukrainian breakaway regions. That order will additionally allow the administration to sanction any person who operates in those areas.
"We have anticipated a move like this from Russia and are ready to respond immediately," she said in a statement. "To 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."
The European Union condemned "in the strongest possible terms" Putin's recognition of the two regions in eastern Ukraine.
"This step is a blatant violation of international law as well as of the Minsk agreements," European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and European Council President Charles Michel said in a joint statement. "The Union will react with sanctions against those involved in this illegal act."
Over the past week, the Russian parliament and top officials have asked Putin to formally recognize the Ukrainian regions. Earlier Monday, the Moscow-backed leaders of the two breakaway regions had formally asked Putin to do the same.
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