Crisis in Ukraine: Putin gets approval to send troops abroad – British, EU sanctions – Biden’s new address

The situation in eastern Ukraine smells like gunpowder, where the intensity has escalated dangerously in the last 24 hours. Russian President Vladimir Putin requested and received permission from the upper house of parliament on Tuesday to use the army abroad, a day after the recognition of the independence of the Luhansk and Donetsk in eastern Ukraine.

Russia’s latest move has prompted Britain to impose sanctions on five banks and three oligarchs.

The American president in his new speech at 21:00 (Greek time) is expected to present the new measures in response to the order of Russian President Vladimir Putin to deploy Russian forces in the two autonomous regions of Ukraine, Donetsk and Lugansk.

According to the Daily Mail, the Ukrainians claim that 10,000 Russian troops have already moved to disputed areas in 12 hours, something that Moscow denies.

Sanctions from Britain: Which oligarchs and which banks Johnson “hits”

According to a telegram from Reuters, the British Prime Minister told the parliament that the five banks are the Russia, IS Bank, GenBank, Promsvyazbank and Black Sea Bankwhich are subject to sanctions, along with three people, Timchenko, mentioned earlier and Igor Arkadyevich Rotenberg and Boris Romanovich Rotenberg.

Timchenko, one of the founders of the trading company Gunvorwas a major shareholder of Bank Rossiya, which was its shareholder National Media Groupwho supported the destabilization of Ukraine after the annexation of Crimea by Russia in 2014.

Bank Rossiya supported its consolidation Crimea with the Russian Federation with the integration of the financial system that followed the annexation of Crimea, says Britain.

Timchenko, whose fortune according to Forbes amounts to 23.5 billion sterlingis a close ally of Russian President Putin, as well as Rothenbergsaid Johnson.

«Boris Rothenberg… is a prominent Russian businessman with close personal ties to the Russian president” while “Igor Rothenberg is a prominent Russian businessman with close family ties to President Putin».

EU sanctions

The Presidents of the European Commission and the European Council, in a joint statement, welcomed the unity of the EU Member States and their determination to react vigorously and swiftly to its actions. Russia.

In a joint statement, Ursula von der Leyen and Charles Michel stressed that “the decision of the Russian Federation to recognize as independent entities and to send Russian troops to parts of Donetsk and Luhansk regions of Of Ukraine is illegal and unacceptable. “It violates international law, the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Ukraine, the international commitments of Russia itself and further escalates the crisis.”

At the same time, the two presidents welcome the firm unity of its member states The European Union and their determination to react vigorously and swiftly to “Russia’s illegal actions”, in close coordination with international partners, the RES reports.

It is also pointed out that it will take place this afternoon at 5 p.m. (Greek time), an informal meeting of EU Foreign Ministers chaired by the High Representative and later in the afternoon a first package of sanctions.

The relevant bodies will then meet to finalize the package without delay.

The package proposes targeted sanctions to:

• Those who participated in the illegal decision.
• The banks that finance Russian military and other operations in these areas.
• The ability of the Russian state and government to access the capital and financial markets and services of the EU, to limit the funding of escalating and aggressive policies.
• Trade from the two breakaway regions to and from the EU to ensure that those responsible clearly feel the financial consequences of their illegal and aggressive actions.

Lavrov: Recognition of Donetsk and Luhansk democracies is essential

Today the Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov disputed that Ukraine has a right to national sovereignty because, as he said, the government in Kiev does not represent its constituent parts, the Interfax news agency reported. At the same time, he called on all countries to follow the example of Moscow and recognize the breakaway regions of Luhansk and Donetsk in eastern Ukraine.

“Recognition of the Donetsk and Luhansk democracies is necessary and (is) the only possible decision in the current circumstances,” the ministry said in a statement following Putin’s recognition of the territories’ independence.

The Russian Foreign Minister rejected the threat of sanctions, saying that the West would impose them regardless of the outcome of the events and described the expected reaction of the West to Moscow’s recognition of the independence of the two breakaway Ukrainian regions, as reported by Athens News agency.

“Our European, American and British colleagues will not stop and will not rest until they have exhausted all possibilities for the so-called ‘punishment of Russia“. They are already threatening us with all kinds of sanctions or, as they claim now, with the “mother of sanctions”. We are used to it. We know that sanctions will be imposed on us anyway, in any case. With or without reason“, Said Lavrov.

Putin assures that he does not want to “rebuild an empire»

Russian President Vladimir Putin said today that he had no intention of re-establishing an empire the day after the recognition of pro-Russian separatists in Ukraine and a speech in which he denied the legitimacy of the Ukrainian state.

“We had predicted that there would be speculation that Russia was preparing to re-establish an empire,” he said during a meeting with his Azeri counterpart, Ilham Aliyev, “and that is not the case at all.”

The Russian president stressed that after the fall of the USSR, Russia “recognized the new realities and worked actively to strengthen” cooperation with the rest of the former Soviet Union, citing Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan as examples.

He said Ukraine was in a “different situation” because “its territory is being used by third countries to pose a threat to Russia.”

In addition to recognizing pro-Russian separatists in Ukraine yesterday, Monday, Russia has recognized two breakaway regions of Georgia (2008), annexed the Ukrainian peninsula of Crimea (2014), and supported separatists in Transnistria since the early 1990s. Moldova.

Last night, Putin, in a long and threatening speech, denied the legitimacy of the Ukrainian state in general, and put forward the position that Ukraine is an artificial country inseparable from Russia.

Meanwhile, Russian-backed separatist leader Denis Pushilin said today that Moscow had formally recognized the secessionist Donetsk region within the wider borders of the Donetsk region of eastern Ukraine, most of which is under Ukrainian control.

Speaking on Russian state television, Pushilin said the issue of the region, which is not under separatist control, would be resolved later.

“The border issue is not simple, it will be resolved later,” he said.

Germany suspends licensing process for Nord Stream 2

In view of the escalation of the Ukrainian crisis, German government announces suspension of German-Russian Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline licensing process.

Chancellor Olaf Solz said he had asked the economy ministry to take the necessary administrative and legal steps so that the pipeline could not receive the certification needed to operate. “And without this certification, Nord Stream 2 can not be put into operation,” said Mr. Soltz.