President Joseph R. Biden, Jr. spoke today with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy of Ukraine to reaffirm the dedication of the United States to Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial stability. President Biden strongly condemned Russian President Putin's decision to purportedly recognize the "self-reliance" of the so-called DNR and LNR regions of Ukraine. He upgraded President Zelenskyy on the United States' response, including our strategy to release sanctions.
MOSCOW (AP) A long-feared Russian invasion of Ukraine seemed impending Monday, if not currently underway, with Russian President Vladimir Putin buying forces into separatist areas of eastern Ukraine. A slightly worded decree signed by Putin did not say if troops were on the move, and it cast the order as an effort to "preserve peace." But it appeared to dash the slim remaining hopes of preventing a significant dispute in Europe that might trigger huge casualties, energy lacks on the continent and financial chaos around the globe.
The move led the way to offer them military assistance, antagonizing Western leaders who concern such a move as a breach of world order, and set off a crazy scramble by the U.S. and others to respond. Highlighting the urgency, the U.N. Security Council set an unusual nighttime emergency meeting on Monday at the demand of Ukraine, the U.S.
Ukraine's president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, sought to forecast calm, informing the nation: "We are not afraid of anyone or anything. Keep Checking Back Here don't owe anybody anything. And we will not offer anything to anybody." The White House issued an executive order to forbid U.S. investment and sell the separatist regions, and extra measures likely sanctions were to be announced Tuesday.
The advancements came in the middle of a spike in skirmishes in the eastern areas that Western powers believe Russia might utilize as a pretext for an attack on the western-looking democracy that has defied Moscow's efforts to pull it back into its orbit. Putin validated his decision in a significant, pre-recorded speech blaming NATO for the current crisis and calling the U.S.-led alliance an existential hazard to Russia.