Ukrainian Defense Ministry: Territory under Ukrainian control shelled 80 times Tuesday by pro-Russian regions
From CNN's Tim Lister in Kyiv
Smoke billows from a power and heating plant Tuesday after it was shelled in Shchastya, near Luhansk in eastern Ukraine. (Vadim Ghirda/AP)
The Defense Ministry of Ukraine says that through 9 p.m. local time in Ukraine, territories under Ukrainian control have been shelled 80 times from the pro-Russian self-declared republics of Luhansk and Donetsk.
The information comes via the Defense Ministry's latest statement on violations of the ceasefire in eastern Ukraine.
Of the 80 incidents, 58 involved weapons prohibited under the Minsk agreements, which stipulate that heavy weapons should not be within 50 kilometers (about 31 miles) of the frontlines.
On Tuesday, Russian President Vladimir Putin stated that Minsk Agreements "no longer exist," adding, "What is there to implement if we have recognized these two entities?"
The Defense Ministry recorded 84 ceasefire violations on Monday.
As part of Tuesday's attacks, the Ukrainian Defense Ministry says that one soldier had been killed and six others have been injured.
According to the ministry, the town of Shchastya — near Luhansk — has sustained some of the heaviest shelling.
The ministry went on to accuse the Russian-backed separatists of deploying heavy weapons "within settlements to provoke Ukrainian defenders to return fire."
3:28 p.m. ET, February 22, 2022
Biden met with Ukraine's foreign minister today
From CNN's DJ Judd
US President Joe Biden speaks from the East Room of the White House on February 22. (Brendan Smialowski/AFP/Getty Images)
The White House says US President Joe Biden met Tuesday with Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba of Ukraine “to reaffirm the United States’ commitment to Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.”
According to the White House, Biden “updated Foreign Minister Kuleba on the United States’ response to Russia’s decision to recognize the purported ‘independence’ of the so-called DNR and LNR regions of Ukraine, including the Executive Order issued last night and new sanctions announced today,” pledging to continue security assistance and economic support to Ukraine.
“President Biden reiterated the readiness of the United States, in close cooperation with our Allies and partners, to respond swiftly and decisively to any further Russian aggression against Ukraine,” the White House says.
3:16 p.m. ET, February 22, 2022
UK and French leaders agree in a call that Russia's actions are "blatant attack on freedom and democracy"
From CNN’s Niamh Kennedy and Alex Hardie in London
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and French President Emmanuel Macron agreed during a call Tuesday that Russia’s actions “don’t just threaten Ukraine’s sovereignty but are a blatant attack on freedom and democracy,” according to a UK government statement.
In a call about the “chilling” developments in Ukraine, the leaders “agreed they needed to continue work in lockstep to target Russian individuals and entities bankrolling President Putin’s aggressive approach,” the statement read.
Johnson in the call said Putin’s “actions were a gross violation of international law, and by sending forces into Eastern Ukraine he had ripped up the Budapest and Minsk agreements.”
6:03 p.m. ET, February 22, 2022
These are the new sanctions President Biden announced against Russia
From CNN's Jason Kurtz
US President Joe Biden announces a new round of sanctions against Russia during a press conference at the White House on February 22. (Drew Angerer/Getty Images)
On the heels of Russian President Vladimir Putin's order of Russian troops into two separatist pro-Moscow regions in eastern Ukraine, President Biden announced a new round of sanctions against Russia.
"I'm announcing the first tranche of sanctions to impose costs on Russia in response to their actions yesterday," Biden said in remarks from the White House. "These have been closely coordinated with our allies and partners and we'll continue to escalate sanctions if Russia escalates."
Here are the sanctions as detailed by Biden:
"We're implementing full blocking sanctions on two large Russian financial institutions: VEB and their military bank."
"We're implementing comprehensive sanctions on Russia's sovereign debt. That means we've cut off Russia's government from Western financing. It can no longer raise money from the West and can not trade in its new debt on our markets or European markets either."
"We'll also impose sanctions on Russia's elites and their family members. They share in the corrupt gains of the Kremlin policies and should share in the pain as well."
"We've worked with Germany to ensure that Nord Stream 2 will not ... move forward."
Biden also noted that if Russia "continues its aggression," additional sanctions could follow.
The US President pledged his administration was using “every tool at our disposal” to limit the effect of sanctions against Russia on domestic gas prices, acknowledging that Americans will likely see rising prices at the pump in the coming months.
“As I said last week, defending freedom will have costs, for us as well and here at home,” Biden said. “We need to be honest about that. But as we do this, I'm going to take robust action to make sure the pain of our sanctions is targeted at the Russian economy, not ours.”
Moving forward, Biden said the administration is “closely monitoring energy supplies for any disruption.”
Last week, Biden signaled Americans should expect to see rising prices in the event of further sanctions against Russia, currently the second largest oil producer in the world. JPMorgan has warned of $120 or even $150 per barrel crude oil if Russian exports are disrupted. The current price is less than $100 per barrel.
Here's a look at how the price of oil has changed over time:
CNN's DJ Judd contributed reporting to this post.
2:48 p.m. ET, February 22, 2022
Biden authorizes additional US forces and military equipment in Europe
From CNN's Allie Malloy
US soldiers at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, wait to be deployed to Europe on February 14. (Allison Joyce/AFP/Getty Images)
President Joe Biden announced Tuesday that he has authorized additional movements of US forces and military equipment in Europe to “strengthen” Baltic allies in Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, following Russian President Vladimir Putin ordering troops into two separatist regions of Ukraine.
“Today, in response to Russia’s admission that it will not withdraw its forces from Belarus, I have authorized additional movements of US forces and equipment, already stationed in Europe to strengthen our Baltic allies: Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania,” Biden said Tuesday in the East Room.
Biden said he wanted to be clear that these are “totally defensive moves on our part.”
“We have no intention of fighting Russia. We want to send an unmistakable message though: that the United States together with our allies will defend every inch of NATO territory. And abide by the commitments we made to NATO,” Biden added.
3:14 p.m. ET, February 22, 2022
Biden: Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline "will not move forward"
From CNN's Maureen Chowdhury, Charles Riley and Julia Horowitz
An exterior view of the Nord Stream 2 pipeline receiving station in Lubmin, Germany, on February 2. (Sean Gallup/Getty Images)
President Biden announced new round of sanctions against Russia during his remarks from the White House on the Ukraine crisis and the latest actions announced by Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Biden said that the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline will "not move forward" as a part of the latest sanctions from the US and its' allies.
"Because of Russia's actions we've worked with Germany to ensure that Nord Stream 2 will not, as I promised, will not move forward. As Russia contemplates its next move we have our next move prepared as well. Russia will pay a steeper price if it continues its aggression, including additional sanctions," Biden said.
The 750-mile pipeline was completed in September but has not yet received final certification from German regulators. When up and running, it would boost deliveries of gas directly from Russia to Germany.
On Tuesday, Germany said it was halting certification of the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline following Moscow's actions in eastern Ukraine on Monday.
The United States, the United Kingdom, Ukraine and several EU countries have opposed the pipeline since it was announced in 2015, warning the project would increase Moscow's influence in Europe.
Nord Stream 2 could deliver 55 billion cubic meters of gas per year. That's more than 50% of Germany's annual consumption and could be worth as much as $15 billion to Gazprom, the Russian state owned company that controls the pipeline.
2:41 p.m. ET, February 22, 2022
Biden: Putin has attacked Ukraine's "right to exist"
US President Joe Biden speaks from the East Room of the White House on February 22. (Brendan Smialowski/AFP/Getty Images)
US President Joe Biden called Russian President Vladimir Putin's speech on Monday a "twisted rewrite of history" in which he attacked Ukraine's "right to exist."
"I'm not going to go into it, nothing in Putin's lengthy remarks indicate interest in pursuing real dialogue on European security in the year 2022. He directly attacked Ukraine's right to exist. He indirectly threatened territory formerly held by Russia, including nations that today are thriving democracies and members of NATO," Biden said.
Biden continued, saying Putin "explicitly threatened war unless his extreme demands were met." The President said that there's no question that Russia is "the aggressor" against Ukraine.
Biden said he believes that "there is still time to avert the worst-case scenario" with diplomacy.
"The United States and our allies and partners remain open to diplomacy if it is serious. When all is said and done, we're going to judge Russia by its actions, not its words. And whatever Russia does next, we're ready to respond with unity, clarity, and conviction."
The President concluded his remarks, saying, "I'm hoping diplomacy is still available."
6:06 p.m. ET, February 22, 2022
Biden: Putin's actions are the "beginning of a Russian invasion of Ukraine"
From CNN's Kevin Liptak
(Pool)
US President Joe Biden described events now underway in Ukraine as "the beginning of a Russian invasion of Ukraine" as he unveiled harsh new sanctions to punish Moscow.
"I'm going to begin to impose sanctions in response, far beyond the steps we and our allies and partners implemented in 2014. And if Russia goes further with this invasion, we stand prepared to go further, as with sanctions," Biden said in White House remarks.
"Who in the Lord's name does Putin think gives him the right to declare new so-called countries on territory that belongs to his neighbors?” Biden asked. "This is a flagrant violation of international law and demands a firm response from the international community."
Biden’s description of Russia’s actions in Ukraine immediately ups the stakes for his response. He and other senior officials have vowed to impose severe economic consequences if Russian troops cross into Ukraine, including on members of Putin’s inner-circle and Russian financial institutions.
“We've said all along, and I've told Putin face to face a month — more than a month ago, that we would act together in the moment Russia moved against Ukraine,” Biden said. “Russia has now undeniably moved against Ukraine by declaring these independent states.”
But Biden is also expecting to reserve some of his toughest measures, hoping to use them should Putin wage the type of bloody and sustained attack US officials have been warning about for weeks.
The administration began describing events in eastern Ukraine as an "invasion" earlier Tuesday after assessing the situation on the ground there, according to administration officials.
The White House declined to provide specific intelligence that might further explain the shift in tone.
3:04 p.m. ET, February 22, 2022
Biden: Putin is "setting up a rationale to take more territory by force"
From CNN's Maureen Chowdhury
President Biden addressed Russian President Vladimir Putin recognizing two separatist-held regions in eastern Ukraine and said that the action is "the beginning of a Russian invasion of Ukraine."
"Yesterday Vladimir Putin recognized two regions of Ukraine as independent states. And he bizarrely asserted that these regions are longer a part of Ukraine and their sovereign territory," Biden said during his remarks from the White House on the Ukraine crisis.
"To put it simply, Russia announced it is carving out a big chunk of Ukraine. Last night, Putin authorized Russian forces to deploy into these regions. Today, he asserted these regions are actually extend deeper than the two areas he recognized, claiming large areas currently under the jurisdiction of the Ukraine government," he said.
"He's setting up a rationale to take more territory by force, in my view, and if we listen to his speech last night, and many of you did, I know, he's setting up a rationale to go much further. This is the beginning of a Russian invasion of Ukraine," the President said.
