The green light from Russia’s parliament on Tuesday for military action in Ukraine was “the beginning of an occupation” of the country, condemning US President Joe Biden, who unveiled the first sanctions against Moscow, as did its Western allies.

According to Washington, fears of a military escalation in Ukraine at the gates of 150,000 Russian troops have been at their peak since Vladimir Putin’s recognition of the independence of Lugansk’s and Donetsk separatist organizations on Monday.

The Russian president is developing excuses to go further, Joe Biden said 24 hours after his opponent’s major decision. “There is still time to avoid the worst,” he added.

In Moscow, Deputy Defense Minister Nikolai Pankov read out before the Senate the Russian president’s request to deploy troops in Donetsk and Lugansk, in line with the provision of “60,000 people and armored vehicles”. Attack.

Shortly after receiving the contract of the elected officials, Shri. Putin condemned again.

He expressed skepticism about the timetable for sending the armed forces, called for Ukraine’s “militarization” and said it would be better to abandon his desire to join NATO to choose “neutrality”.

“I did not say that our soldiers would go there now … as they say, it depends on the situation on the ground,” he said. Shortly afterwards, Russian diplomats announced that they would soon be expelling their diplomats from Ukraine.

US President Joe Biden, February 22, 2022 at the White House in Washington (AFP / Brendan Smylovsky)

Mr. Putin claimed for the separatists all the territories of Lugansk and Donetsk, which is much larger than the territories under their control. He referred to the imaginary “negotiations” between Kiev and the pro-Russian forces.

The Russian intervention on Tuesday will be legally justified by the ratification of mutual aid agreements, especially at the military level. In addition, Moscow established diplomatic relations with the two regions.

– First siege –

NATO expects a “massive invasion” of Russia in Ukraine, as announced by its Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg.

A Ukrainian soldier (AFP / Anatolii STEPANOV) in the lead with pro-Russian separatists near Novognativka in the Donetsk region on February 21, 2022

Without hesitation, Westerners accepted the first siege in response to the recognition of separatists who had been fighting for eight years in Kiev, where more than 14,000 people had been killed.

Berlin has announced the most dramatic move to freeze the giant Nord Stream II gas pipeline project that will bring more Russian gas to Germany.

At the White House, Biden announced the first phase of sanctions aimed at preventing Western funds from raising money to repay Moscow’s sovereign debt.

A U.S. official has said that if Russia continues to invade Ukraine, sanctions will target the entire Russian banking sector.

Japan and Australia announced sanctions on Wednesday, accusing Canberra of “behaving like a bandit” targeting members of the Russian Security Council.

Map of Europe showing a network of functional and planned gas pipelines (AFP /)

U.S. diplomat Anthony Blinken has announced that he does not see his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov as planned, and has canceled a meeting with his French rival Jean-Yves Le Drian and a minister in Paris.

“Now that the occupation has begun and Russia has explicitly rejected any diplomacy, there is no point in meeting at this stage,” Blinken said.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has announced a series of “economic sanctions” against Russia “until the restoration of Ukraine’s regional integrity.”

The European Union (EU) has accepted a package of sanctions as part of its plan to reassure Russia’s diplomatic chief, Joseph Borel.

The Prime Minister of the United Kingdom Boris Johnson has announced sanctions against the Kremlin, three nobles near the five Russian banks, and London, the economic powerhouse of Russia’s greatest power.

He also said he was opposed to international matches in Russia, such as the Champions League football final in St. Petersburg at the end of May.

These measures are for the time being modest compared to those promised in the event of a major invasion.

According to UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, the principles of “the UN Charter is not an a la carte menu” should be “applied to all” by Russia in relation to Ukraine.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Selensky at a press conference on February 22, 2022 in Kyiv (Ukrainian Presidency / Handout)

He reiterated that Moscow’s recognition of the so-called “independence” of the separatist territories was a “violation of Ukraine’s territorial integrity and sovereignty” and a “major blow” to the UN Security Council’s Minsk Accords.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Selensky, who has demanded “weapons” and a guarantee of EU membership, said he was considering severing diplomatic ties with Moscow.

– “No Fear” –

The Russian president, who Tempo has suggested from the outset, maintains the mystery of his intentions, and has several options in front of him: to invade the whole of Ukraine, expand the territory controlled by the separatists, or seize a new level of discussion.

Comparison of Russian, Ukrainian soldiers, weapons and vehicles (AFP /)

This is because an invasion of an enemy country would be costly, and Russia would like to see NATO withdraw from Eastern Europe and end its expansionist policy. The requirements so far have been rejected.

On Tuesday, Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksi Resnikov warned that “difficult trials and tribulations” awaited Ukraine.

On Monday night, President Selensky assured that the Ukrainians were “not afraid of anything” and would not leave “a single parcel of the country.”

At the forefront, there are still shootings with separatists. The military says a pro-Russian separatist shelling in eastern Ukraine on Tuesday killed a Ukrainian soldier and wounded six others.

Kiev also denies any criminal action, contrary to Moscow’s claims, accusing opponents of spreading false information aimed at justifying an intervention.