Biden bans US investments in Ukrainian breakaway regions

The president of the United States, Joe Biden, has announced this Monday that he will issue an executive order to prohibit “investment, trade and financing of American persons to, from or the separatist regions of Donetsk and Lugansk”, in eastern Ukraine. .

Biden thus reacts to the decision of the Russian president, Vladimir Putin, to recognize the independence of these two territories.

The US leader has convened the National Security team at the White House this Monday, the third of February, in which the country celebrates the federal holiday of Presidents' Day.

He has also spoken by phone with the leaders of Ukraine, Volodímir Zelenski, and France, Emmanuel Macron, and with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz.

In a statement issued by the White House after those exchanges, Washington specifies that this order "will also provide authority to impose sanctions on anyone operating in those areas of Ukraine."

“The State and Treasury Departments will provide more details shortly.

We will also shortly announce other measures related to the flagrant violation of Russia's international commitments that has occurred today [this Monday]," the letter added.

The White House has specified that these measures “are independent and would be added to the rapid and severe economic sanctions”, which the US authorities have been talking about for weeks, and which, they say, they have been “preparing in coordination with allies and partners in case Russia decides to invade Ukraine.

"We continue to consult closely with our allies and partners, including Ukraine, on next steps and on Russia's ongoing escalation along the border," the statement concludes.

In the morning, the Kremlin had announced that Putin would study the request for greater autonomy of the self-styled republics "in the face of the massive bombardment of their population."

"With all this in mind, the Russian president said that he intended to sign a relevant decree in the near future," referring to a text that guarantees the independence of these territories.

Putin has announced his decision to Macron and Scholz by phone.

Then he gave a televised speech in Moscow in which he used historical arguments to defend the importance of Ukraine for Russia.

During his 40-minute speech, Putin accused Kiev of being a "puppet" of the United States.

He has defined the country as a failed state and has accused its leaders of coming to power thanks to a coup, the Maidan revolution that eight years ago toppled a president allied with the Kremlin.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said last week that the recognition that has come today for the separatist territories in the east of the country "would further undermine the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine, constitute a serious violation of international law , and would further call into question Russia's stated commitment to continue diplomacy to achieve a peaceful resolution of this crisis."

He also insisted that the United States and its allies are prepared for a "swift and firm" response.

The Biden Administration has also assured that it has "credible information" that would prove that Russia has drawn up a list of people to "kill or send to [detention] camps after the military occupation" in Ukraine.

This has been communicated by a US official at the United Nations in a letter sent to Michelle Bachelet, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights.

In the morning, Jake Sullivan, White House national security adviser, warned in a television interview that, according to data from his intelligence services, a Russian attack on Ukraine would be "extremely violent".

The attack, he has added, can arrive in a matter of hours.

Sullivan explained that the United States does not expect a "conventional war" between two armies, but that Russia would seek to "repress, crush and harm" the population.

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