U.S., allies to increase pressure on Russia following the annexation
Shafaq News/ Russian President Vladimir Putin signed treaties to annex four Ukrainian regions, Luhansk, Donetsk, Kherson, and Zaporizhzhia.
The Russian forces partly occupied these Ukrainian regions.
According to the Washington Post (WP), Putin's move came in parallel with the United States and its allies putting the finishing touches on their plans to respond with measures designed to significantly increase the military, diplomatic and economic pressure they believe will eventually box Putin into an intolerable position.
“New sanctions are to be announced on entities inside Russia, and those on the outside that contribute to its war effort,” the Newspaper cited U.S. and European Union officials.
“Long-term commitments are being made to ensure the continued flow of Western weapons to Ukraine. Fence-sitting nations are being cajoled and pressured to take a stand against Moscow.”
No one appears to believe such statements will immediately deter Putin, nor will any of the planned punishments impose an immediate cost.
Several U.S. and European officials, who spoke to The Washington Post on the condition of anonymity to discuss the sensitive issue, said there was evidence the argument had some resonance. Major countries such as China and India have recently raised questions about how Putin handled the situation, as were some smaller nations.
“Russia having announced that they would simply annex territory, and make that part of Russia, also covered by a nuclear umbrella — that is so monumental, so outrageous, that it has catapulted the principle of territory integrity,” a senior European official said. “These countries cannot stay aloof, cannot stay on the fence, about a crucial principle of international law that could actually be used against them. Something has changed” in their calculus, the official told WP.
“I think … a lot of the countries that have tried to keep their heads down and not weigh in are going to have a really hard time swallowing the annexation,” said a senior U.S. defense official.
“Right now, we’re essentially announcing about a billion dollars of [drawdown], and a billion dollars of USAI every month,” A defense official said. “It goes up and down, but that’s the order of magnitude. And if Congress provides the money that we’ve asked for — and I’m optimistic that they will — we’ll be able to sustain that rate through the end of this calendar year until we have a formal budget.”
