Biden imposes sanctions against Russian proxy ‘republics’ in Donbas
U.S. President Joe Biden on Feb. 22 introduced sanctions against the so-called “DPR” and “LPR” – non-government-controlled parts of Ukraine’s Donbas region – following the decision of Russian President Vladimir Putin to invade and occupy them.
“The purported 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 an unusual and extraordinary threat to the national security and foreign policy of the United States,” a White House statement reads.
On Biden's orders, in particular, investments in the “DPR” and “LPR” are prohibited, as is the importing of any goods, services or technology from the now Russian-occupied areas of mainland Ukraine into the United States.
In addition, this order makes it possible to impose sanctions on any person who decides to operate in those territories in the future.
It is noted that all property and interests in property located in the United States or that later come within the United States that owned by persons associated with the “DPR” and “LPR” will also be seized.
The Russian parliament on Feb. 15 appealed to Putin to recognize the non-government-controlled parts of Ukraine’s Donbas region as independent. The Russian leader himself, commenting on the decision, said that Russia "should do everything to solve the problems of the Donbas."
Mykhailo Podolyak, adviser to the head of the President's Office of Ukraine, said the appeal was an escalatory action that would complicate the situation in Europe.
The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry stressed that Russia's recognition of the “DPR” and “LPR” meant the Kremlin was withdrawing from the Minsk agreements, which would deal a serious blow to the political and diplomatic settlement. The EU and NATO also condemned the decision of the State Duma. Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov said that Putin's recognition of the "republics" could be a pretext for a new Russian invasion.
On Feb. 21, the leaders of the Russian proxy “states,” Denis Pushilin and Leonid Pasechnik, appealed to Putin with a request to recognize the independence of the self-proclaimed “people’s republics.” On the same day, Putin officially recognized the two pseudo-states.
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