Biden hits Russia with new sanctions, says Putin ‘chose’ war

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden ordered broad new sanctions targeting Russia on Thursday after its invasion of Ukraine, declaring that Russian leader Vladimir Putin “chose this war” and his country will bear the consequences.

The sanctions target Russian banks, oligarchs and high-tech sectors, Biden said. The United States and its allies will block assets of four large Russian banks, impose export controls and sanction oligarchs.

Biden also said the U.S. will be deploying additional forces to Germany to bolster NATO after the invasion of Ukraine, which is not a member of the defense organization. Approximately 7,000 additional U.S. troops will be sent.

The penalties fall in line with the White House’s insistence that it would hit Russia’s financial system and Putin’s inner circle, while also imposing export controls that would aim to starve Russia’s industries and military of U.S. semiconductors and other high-tech products.

“Putin is the aggressor,” Biden said. “Putin chose this war, and now he and his country will bear the consequences.”

Biden, for now, held off imposing some of the most severe potential sanctions, including cutting Russia out of the SWIFT payment system, which allows for the transfers of money from bank to bank around the globe.

This morning, I met with my G7 counterparts to discuss President Putin’s unjustified attack on Ukraine and we agreed to move forward on devastating packages of sanctions and other economic measures to hold Russia to account. We stand with the brave people of Ukraine. pic.twitter.com/dzvYxj7J9w

— President Biden (@POTUS) February 24, 2022

Biden announced the sanctions at the White House while Ukraine’s government reported mounting casualties inflicted by Russian forces attacking from the east, north and south.

Oil and natural prices have already surged over concerns that Russia -- an energy production behemoth -- will slow the flow of oil and natural gas to Europe. Biden, however, acknowledged the sanctions are “going to take time” to have their effect on the Russian economy.

He also acknowledged that the invasion -- and efforts to thwart Putin--will have a cost for Americans. But he sought to reassure that the economic pain that may come with rising energy prices will be short lived for them.

As for Putin, he said, “He’s going to test the resolve of the West to see if we stay together, and we will.”

Biden spoke hours after holding a virtual meeting with the leaders of Britain, Canada, France, Italy and Japan. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, European Council President Charles Michel, and NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg also joined the meeting.

The president also met with his national security team in the White House Situation Room as he looked to flesh out U.S. moves in the rapidly escalating crisis.

While Biden described the sanctions as severe, Ukrainian officials urged the U.S. and West to go further and cut the Russians from the SWIFT financial system.

“We demand the disconnection of Russia from SWIFT, the introduction of a no-fly zone over Ukraine and other effective steps to stop the aggressor,” Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in a tweet.

The Biden administration, however, has shown some reluctance to cut Russia from SWIFT, at least immediately, because of concerns the move could also have enormous ramifications for Europe and other Western economies. Biden, answering questions from reporters, appeared to push a decision on SWIFT to European allies.

“It is always an option but right now that’s not the position that the rest of Europe wishes to take,” Biden said. He also contended that the financial sanctions he announced would be more damaging to Russia.

The Belgium-headquartered system allows for tens of millions of transactions daily among banks, financial exchanges and other institutions. The U.S. notably has previously blocked Iran from the system because of its nuclear program.

Officials in Europe have noted that the loss of SWIFT access by Russia could be a drag on the broader global economy. Russia has also equated a SWIFT ban to a declaration of war. And because the system cements the importance of the U.S. dollar in global finance, outright bans also carry the risk of pushing countries to use alternatives through the Chinese government or blockchain-based technologies.

Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell expressed support Thursday and also urged Biden to apply maximum pressure on Putin.

“We’re all together at this point and we need to be together about what should be done,” McConnell said. “But I have some advice: Ratchet the sanctions all the way up. Don’t hold any back.”

The sanctions include targeting Russia’s two largest banks, Sberbank and VTB Bank. The U.S. Treasury Department says the sanctions overall “target nearly 80 percent of all banking assets in Russia and will have a deep and long-lasting effect on the Russian economy and financial system.”

Treasury also announced sanctions against Belarusian banks, the country’s defense industry and security officials over support for Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Biden said the export control measures he ordered would “impose severe cost on the Russian economy, both immediately and over time.” The measures will restrict Russia access to semiconductors, computers, telecommunications, information security equipment, lasers and sensors.

“We’re going to impair their ability to compete in a high tech 21st century economy,” Biden said.

Russia-Ukraine: What to know as Russia attacks Ukraine

WARSAW, Poland (AP) — Russian troops launched a broad, three-pronged assault on Ukraine that brought explosions and set off air raid sirens to the country’s capital, Kyiv, and other cities, shattering any remaining hope that a military conflict would be avoided.

BREAKING: ‘Fierce fighting’ rocks Ukraine as Russia launches major invasion

Ukraine’s leadership said at least 40 people had been killed in what it called a “full-scale war” targeting the country from the east, north and south. It said Russia’s intent was to destroy the state of Ukraine, a Western-looking democracy intent on escaping Moscow’s orbit.

MORE: How to provide aid to those in Ukraine

As Ukrainian forces fought back and civilians piled into trains and cars to flee, NATO and European leaders rushed to respond, if not directly in Ukraine, with strong financial sanctions against Russia and moves to strengthen their own borders.

Here are the things to know about the conflict over Ukraine and the security crisis in Eastern Europe:

PUTIN MAKES HIS MOVE

In a televised address as the attack began, Russian President Vladimir Putin said it was needed to protect civilians in eastern Ukraine, where Ukrainian forces and Russia-backed separatists have been fighting for almost eight years.

The U.S. had predicted Putin would falsely claim that the rebel-held regions were under attack to justify an invasion.

The Russian leader warned other countries that any attempt to interfere in Ukraine would “lead to consequences you have never seen in history” — a dark threat implying Russia was prepared to use its nuclear weapons.

Putin accused the U.S. and its allies of ignoring Russia’s demands to block Ukraine from ever joining NATO and offer Moscow security guarantees.

Putin said Russia does not intend to occupy Ukraine but plans to “demilitarize” it. He urged Ukrainian servicemen to “immediately put down arms and go home.” Soon after his address, explosions were heard in the cities of Kyiv, Kharkiv and Odesa.

Russia’s Defense Ministry reported hours later that the Russian military has destroyed 74 Ukrainian military facilities, including 11 air bases.

MORE: Global stocks plunge as Russia attacks Ukraine

UKRAINE’S PRESIDENT URGES CALM

Kyiv residents could be heard shouting in the streets when the first explosions sounded.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who had repeatedly appealed to Putin in recent days to pursue a diplomatic path instead of taking military action, issued a video statement declaring martial law.

He told Ukrainians that the United States was gathering international support to respond to Russia. He urged residents to remain calm and to stay at home, and urged world leaders Thursday to provide defense assistance and help protect Ukraine’s airspace.

Later Thursday, Zelenskyy reported that Russian forces were trying to seize the Chernobyl nuclear plant.

The plant was the site of the world’s worst nuclear accident in April 1986, when a nuclear reactor exploded and spewed radioactive waste across Europe. The plant lies 130 kilometers (80 miles) north of the capital of Kyiv.

“Our defenders are giving their lives so that the tragedy of 1986 will not be repeated,” Zelenskyy said on Twitter.

THE WEST REACTS

World leaders decried the start of an invasion that could cause massive casualties, topple Ukraine’s democratically elected government and threaten the post-Cold War balance.

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg called Russia’s attack “a brutal act of war” and said Moscow had shattered peace on the European continent.

U.S. President Joe Biden said Putin “has chosen a premeditated war that will bring a catastrophic loss of life and human suffering.”

The leaders of the Group of Seven have strongly condemned “the large-scale military aggression by the Russian Federation against the territorial integrity, sovereignty and independence of Ukraine.”

They called “on all partners and members of the international community to condemn this attack in the strongest possible terms, to stand shoulder to shoulder with Ukraine, and raise their voice against this blatant violation of the fundamental principles of international peace and security.”

The head of the U.N. refugee agency called on neighboring countries to keep their borders open for Ukrainians fleeing the fighting.

U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi pointed to “reports of casualties and people starting to flee their homes to seek safety.”

He said his agency had stepped up its operations and capacity in both Ukraine and its neighbors.

WORLD MARKETS FALL

World stock markets plunged and oil prices soared amid concerns that heating bills and food prices would skyrocket.

Beyond its human toll, the conflict looks set to send prices spiraling even higher at gasoline pumps and grocery stores around the world.

Russia and Ukraine are major producers not only of energy products but also grains and various other commodities. War could upend global supplies, as could sanctions brought by the United States and other allies.

WHEN WILL THE WEST IMPOSE MORE SANCTIONS?

Ukraine’s forces are no match for Moscow’s military might, so Kyiv is counting on other countries to hit Russia hard — with sanctions.

President Joe Biden is expected to announce on Thursday at least some of the toughest sanctions and financial penalties that the United States can muster in response.

Biden, for weeks, promised “swift and severe costs” if Russian forces moved into Ukraine, and he made clear that the world’s biggest economy would go after Russia financially, not militarily.

Biden administration officials described measures that would send Russia’s ruble crashing, isolate Moscow from the world financial system and potentially drive the country into recession.

Meanwhile, the European Union planned the “strongest, the harshest package” ever, to be considered at a summit on Thursday, according to EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell.

“A major nuclear power has attacked a neighbor country and is threatening reprisals of any other states that may come to the rescue,” Borrell said.

“This is not only the greatest violation of international law, it’s a violation of the basic principles of human co-existence. It’s costing many lives with unknown consequences ahead of us. The European Union will respond in the strongest possible terms.”

EU BEEFS UP PEACEKEEPING FORCE IN BOSNIA

The European Union-led peacekeeping force in Bosnia announced that it would double the number of its ground troops to prevent ripple effects from the conflict in Ukraine.

The force, known as EUFOR, described the step as a precautionary move. “The deterioration of the security situation internationally has the potential to spread instability” to the ethnically divided Balkan country, it said.

A staunchly pro-Russian Bosnian Serb leader, Milorad Dodik, has for years advocated the separation of the semi-autonomous Bosnian Serb mini-state from the rest of the country.

Last winter, with tacit support from Moscow, Dodik intensified his secessionist campaign, pledging to form an exclusively Serb army, judiciary and tax system.

The EU force announced that four companies of its reserve forces from Austria, Bulgaria, Romania and Slovakia, would deploy to Bosnia over the next two weeks to reinforce its 600-strong contingent already stationed in the country. The new deployments will total 500 troops.

NATO’S EASTERN FLANK

The countries on NATO’s eastern flank, all under Soviet domination during the Cold War, are especially nervous.

The Baltic states of Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia wondered if they could be the Kremlin’s next target. Poles were also shaken.

The parliament in Poland, which borders both Ukraine and Belarus, strongly denounced Russia’s attack on Ukraine and vowed its support to Ukraine.

Members of the Sejm, or lower house of parliament, approved by acclamation a statement condemning Russia. Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki told the assembly that Thursday would go down in history as “the day Russia chose war,” attacking another nation for no reason.

U.S. Ambassador Mark Brzezinski sought to assure Poland that it is safe. He noted that there are now 10,000 U.S. soldiers in Poland. More than half were deployed in recent weeks amid the Russian threats.

CHINA’S SUPPORT FOR RUSSIA

China’s customs agency on Thursday approved imports of wheat from all regions of Russia, a move that could help to reduce the impact of possible Western sanctions.

China’s populous market is a growth area for other farm goods suppliers, but Beijing had barred imports until now from Russia’s main wheat-growing areas due to concern about possible fungus and other contamination.

Russia is one of the biggest wheat producers, but its exports would be vulnerable if its foreign markets block shipments in response to its attack on Ukraine.

Thursday’s announcement said Russia would “take all measures” to prevent contamination by wheat smut fungus and would suspend exports to China if it was found.

UKRAINE SEES MORE CYBERATTACKS

The websites of Ukraine’s defense, foreign and interior ministries were unreachable or painfully slow to load Thursday morning after a punishing wave of distributed-denial-of-service attacks as Russia struck at its neighbor.

In addition to DDoS attacks on Wednesday, cybersecurity researchers said unidentified attackers had infected hundreds of computers with destructive malware, some in neighboring Latvia and Lithuania.

Officials had long expected cyberattacks to precede and accompany any Russian military incursion.

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Associated Press writers around the world contributed to this report.

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