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Russia is beginning an “invasion” of Ukraine, a White House official said Tuesday after Moscow recognized two separatist-controlled regions in eastern Ukraine as independent and ordered the deployment of troops there.
“We think this is, yes, the beginning of an invasion, Russia’s latest invasion into Ukraine,” Jon Finer, President Joe Biden’s principal deputy national security adviser, told CNN.
People wait to pass through the Shehyni checkpoint in western Ukraine to cross the border into Poland on Feb. 18, 2022, amid rising tensions between Russia and Ukraine. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo
The remarks came as the United States is set to unveil additional sanctions against Russia after announcing on Monday a trade and investment ban on the two pro-Russia areas recognized as independent.
Meanwhile, the foreign ministers of the Group of Seven industrialized nations, which includes the United States and Japan, agreed in a phone call Tuesday to condemn Russia’s recognition of the two breakaway regions as a violation of Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, as well as international law.
Japan will work with the international community to come up with a “harsh response,” including sanctions, Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi told reporters after the call.
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