This article needs to be updated.(April 2024) |
The United States has supported Ukraine during the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine. After it began on 24 February 2022, President Joe Biden condemned the invasion, provided military, financial and humanitarian aid to Ukraine, and imposed sanctions against Russia and Belarus. [1] [2]
The United States has provided more than half of all military aid to Ukraine, and has set aside $175 billion to help the country. [3] Most of this money stays in the US economy and supports US industries, subsidizing the production of weapons and military equipment in at least 71 American cities. [3] [4] There are several ways by which the US provides military and financial aid to Ukraine. Most of the military aid is old American weaponry and equipment from US reserve stockpiles; Presidential Drawdown Authority (PDA) allows the president to order the sending of this weaponry. American military contractors are then funded to make weapons to re-fill stockpiles. [4] The Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative (USAI) funds the US Department of Defense to help train and advise the Ukrainian military, as well as to procure weaponry and equipment. [4] The State Department's Foreign Military Financing (FMF) program helps allies like Ukraine buy weaponry and equipment from American manufacturers. [4] Lastly, the US also sends some direct financial aid to the Ukrainian government through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). [4]
The Biden administration also imposed limits on the supply and use of some American weapons. For more than two years, it forbade Ukraine to fire American weapons, like the Army Tactical Missile System (ATACMS), at military targets inside Russia. [4] From June 2024, it allowed Ukraine to strike inside Russia with US-supplied weapons, but only near the border in self-defense. [5]
As it has been reported, the Biden administration got information on a potential Russian invasion as early as March 2021, at the time of large Russian military exercises.[ citation needed ] The US attempted to deter Russia from invading, among other, by proposing US - Russia summit, and meeting with Russian officials in November 2021 and January 2022. The efforts failed. [6]
Since the start of the Russian invasion in 2022, US President Joe Biden has articulated a cautious US strategy towards the war. The goals were to mitigate the risk of escalation into a direct US-Russia confrontation while hindering Russia's military success. Biden administration emphasized sustained support "for as long as it takes" to assist Ukraine's defense efforts. However, these are coupled with a focus on avoiding actions that could be construed as provocative by Russia and potentially leading to a wider war. [6]
This cautious approach prioritizes limiting US risks of getting militarily involved while leaving the primary burden of repelling the invasion on Ukraine. Political scientist Kori Schake characterizes this strategy as exhibiting a "vulnerability of US support", arguing that the self-imposed limitations on US assistance, compared to Russia's aggression not limited by any boundaries, create a significant strategic advantage for Russia. [6]
While this US strategy has been static for 2 years of war, the situation on the battlefield was changing with time. Eventually, static US strategy encountered its limitations. As the war enters its third year (as of April 2024), the battlefield situation evolved towards a stalemate and towards increased concerns that a persistent and determined Russian offensive could ultimately achieve its objectives. [6]
After the start of Russian invasion, US president Joe Biden has committed to aid Ukraine for "as long as it takes". However US strategy's goals, aiding Ukraine and at the same time preventing Russian escalation, were contradicting each other. This contradiction "produced a repetitive cycle of Ukraine pleading for systems Washington denied, allies (particularly the United Kingdom) moving forward without the United States, the Biden administration bowing to public criticism and international pressure and slowly relenting, providing the systems months and even years later than when they would have been most effective". [6] US military aid, per historian Phillips O'Brien, were "systems of limited range and defensive purpose". The delay in delivering weapons and ammunition resulted in Russian construction of defenses in late 2022 and early 2023. [6]
The US president said the U.S. military would not fight Russia in Ukraine, but would defend every inch of NATO territory. [7] On March 16, Biden announced an additional $800 million in security assistance to Ukraine, bringing the total U.S. security assistance committed to Ukraine to $2 billion since the start of the Biden Administration. [8]
On February 26, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken stated that Ukraine would be provided with an additional $350 million in military aid to strengthen their defense capabilities. [9]
The United States Agency for International Development, along with United Nations agencies, provided relief supplies to the Ukrainian people, such as surgery and medical kits, emergency food, thermal blankets and sanitation supplies. The agency provided a total of $107 million in humanitarian aid. [10]
On March 25, 2022, Joe Biden visited Poland near the border with Ukraine. Biden expressed his appreciation for the courage and tenacity of the Ukrainian people, and likened the Ukrainian people's resistance to Russia to the 1989 Tiananmen Square protests and massacre. [11]
On April 12, the United States sent $750M in additional military aid to Ukraine, including drones, howitzers and protective equipment to defend against chemical attacks. [12]
On April 24, 2022, an American delegation consisting of American Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin visited Ukrainian president Volodomyr Zelenskyy in Kyiv. After the visit US announced $713 million in military financing for Ukraine plus fifteen allied partner nations. [13]
In late April Nancy Pelosi, Speaker of the House of Representatives visited Zelensky in Kyiv together with other members of the House of Representatives including Adam Schiff. [14]
On February 20, 2023, Joe Biden announced a half-billion dollars aid stating that the new aid "package would include more military equipment, such as artillery ammunition, more javelins and howitzers. [15]
The United States marked the first anniversary of Russia's invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2023, with $2 billion in arms for Kyiv. The United States also plans to announce $250 million in aid to bolster Ukraine's energy infrastructure against Russian attacks. [16] Rep. Chris Stewart of Utah, a member of the House Intelligence Committee, said as long as US resources were used wisely, the American people will continue to support aid. He said NATO members must also honor their pledge to spend 2 percent of their gross domestic product on defense. "Most of them have not done that except for a few of the smaller countries," Stewart said. "The American people also look at this and go, ‘This is in Europe’s backyard. They should be at least as invested in this as we are.’ And I don't know that we can assure them right now that that's the case." [17]
In May 2023, the United States said it would provide a $300 million arms shipment for Ukraine. This also included "air defense systems and tens of millions of rounds of ammunition". [18]
Biden stated that 800 US soldiers will be transferred from Italy to the Baltic region, eight F-35 fighter jets will be transferred from Germany to Eastern Europe, and that 32 Apache helicopters will be transferred from Germany and Greece to Poland. [19] [20] The president said the U.S. military would not fight Russia in Ukraine, but would defend every inch of NATO territory. [7]
U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin ordered the deployment of about 7,000 additional troops to Europe. [7]
Imposing economic sanctions on Russia was and is one of main elements of Biden's strategy after Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022. Biden administration believed that economic sanctions would damage Russia more than military engagement. However, sanctions "have been much less successful" than the US strategy "anticipated and required", and have failed to impede Russia from continuing its war. [6]
The National Emergencies Act and International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA), authorize the president to regulate international commerce by declaring a national emergency in response to any unusual and extraordinary threat to the United States which has its source in whole or substantial part outside the United States. This is accomplished through the power to impose international sanctions on foreign countries and their citizens. By designating a country, a corporation or individual this way, the United States seeks to leverage the global use of the United States dollar and its regulation by the United States Department of the Treasury for its foreign policy.
During the Presidency of George W. Bush, the repression of opposition to the incumbent Alexander Lukashenko regime during the 2006 Belarusian presidential election led to the declaration of international emergency with Executive Order 13405 of June 16, 2006. During the Presidency of Barack Obama, the Annexation of Crimea by the Russian Federation was impetus to declare an emergency in Ukraine through Executive Order 13660 of March 6, 2014.
The emergencies in both Belarus and Ukraine have been continued by Presidents Bush, Obama, Trump and Biden through an annual letter to Congress. Each president has issued further Executive Orders affecting the scope of emergency measures and naming individuals, companies and governments as responsible and sanctioning them.
In addition, the Russia–United States relations have been strained through a number of incidents involving espionage and cyberwarfare by Russia. With Executive Order 13694, President Obama declared an emergency regarding "Significant Malicious Cyber-Enabled Activities" without initially naming Russia, but eventually naming the GRU, FSB, and related entities responsible and sanctioning them.
Taking office in 2021, President Joseph Biden cited the Russian bounty program, 2020 United States federal government data breach and 2020–2021 Belarusian protests to enhance previous sanctions programs against the Russia and Belarus authorized under Presidency of Barack Obama and Presidency of Donald Trump. Each Executive Order is written pursuant to the International Emergency Economic Powers Act authority granted to the President to designate individuals as deemed necessary.
In 2021, President Biden signed four Executive Orders creating sanctions. Two targeted the Russian Federation and one targeted Belarus:
In late-January 2022, major Russian military units were relocated and deployed to Belarus under the auspices of previously planned joint military exercises to be held in February that year. [27] Ukrainian and American officials believed that Russia attempted to use Belarus as a platform for an attack on Ukraine from the north, due to the close proximity of the Belarusian–Ukrainian border with the city of Kyiv. [28] [29] [30] [31]
On 19 January 2022, United States President Joe Biden said his "guess" was that Russia "w[ould] move in" to Ukraine but Putin would pay "a serious and dear price" for an invasion and "would regret it". [32] [33]
On February 21, 2022, following the recognition of the Donetsk and Luhansk republics, President Putin ordered additional Russian troops into Donbas, in what Russia called a "peacekeeping mission". [34] [35] [36] In immediate response, the Biden administration issued Executive Order 14065, prohibiting all trade with the breakaway Donetsk People's Republic or Luhansk People's Republic. The Bureau of Industry and Security issuing new Export Administration Regulations effective February 24. [37] [38]
On February 22, 2022, the United States declared the Russian advance into the Donbass an "invasion." [39] The Biden administration and OFAC announced the blocking of property under E.O. 14024 for notable members of the Russian government including Alexander Bortnikov of the Federal Security Service (FSB) and the First Deputy Chief of Staff of the Presidential Administration of Russia Sergey Kiriyenko. State-backed bank Promsvyazbank and its CEO Petr Fradkov were also cited; the Russian state development corporation VEB.RF as well. Over forty subsidiaries to Promsvyazbank and VEB.RF were named to the list, as were five ships owned by Promsvyazbank: one roll-on/roll-off cargo ship, two tankers and two container ships. The Biden administration described this as the "first tranche" of sanctions. [40] [41]
On February 23, 2022, an unidentified senior U.S. defense official was quoted by Reuters saying that "80 percent" of Russian forces assigned and arrayed along Ukraine's border were ready for battle and that a ground incursion further into Ukraine could commence at any moment. [42] On the same day, the Ukrainian parliament approved the decree of President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on the introduction of a state of emergency. [43] On February 24, 2022, the Russian Federation President Vladimir Putin announced that he had made the decision to launch a "special military operation" in eastern Ukraine. [44] [45] Russian forces launched missile attacks against targets across Ukraine shortly afterward. [46]
Following the attacks, White House announced an expansion of its sanctions programs. [47]
Today, the United States, along with Allies and partners, is imposing severe and immediate economic costs on Russia in response to Putin’s war of choice against Ukraine. Today’s actions include sweeping financial sanctions and stringent export controls that will have profound impact on Russia’s economy, financial system, and access to cutting-edge technology. The sanctions measures impose severe costs on Russia’s largest financial institutions and will further isolate Russia from the global financial system. With today’s financial sanctions, we have now targeted all ten of Russia’s largest financial institutions, including the imposition of full blocking and correspondent and payable-through account sanctions, and debt and equity restrictions, on institutions holding nearly 80% of Russian banking sector assets.
— "Fact Sheet: Joined by Allies and Partners, the United States Imposes Devastating Costs on Russia" February 24, 2022
The Biden administration widened the E.O. 14024 sanctions program list to target major Russian corporations in the banking, defense, and energy sector. Designated corporations included Otkritie FC Bank, Rostec, Sovcombank, VTB Bank, Sberbank, Alfa-Bank, Credit Bank of Moscow, Gazprombank, Russian Agricultural Bank, Gazprom, Gazprom Neft, Transneft, Rostelecom, RusHydro, Alrosa, Sovcomflot, and Russian Railways.
More Russian government officials and oligarchs were sanctioned, including senior government official Sergei Ivanov, Secretary for the Security Council of Russia Nikolai Patrushev, Rosneft CEO Igor Sechin, and banker Yuri Soloviev. [48]
The Office of Foreign Assets Control also announced the imposition of further E.O. 14038 sanctions against Belarus in retaliation for allowing Russia to use its territory to launch attacks on Ukraine, including state-owned banks, defense and security industry, and defense official including the Belarusian Minister of Defense, Viktor Khrenin. [49] [50]
On February 25, 2022, the United States Department of the Treasury and United States Department of State announced the most direct sanctions on the government and military of the Russian Federation by putting sanctions on Russian President Vladimir Putin, foreign minister Sergey Lavrov, Minister of Defence Sergei Shoigu and first Deputy Defence Minister Valery Gerasimov. [51] [52] [53]
In a joint public statement on February 26, 2022, with the leaders of the European Commission, France, Germany, Italy, United Kingdom, and Canada, the United States committed to tighten sanctions even further including removal of Russian banks from the SWIFT messaging system, measures to stop the use of reserves to undermine the impact of sanctions, ending the sale of golden passport, and coordinating efforts to "ensure the effective implementation of our financial sanctions." [54] [55] [56] [57]
On February 28, 2022, the Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF) and its CEO Kirill Dmitriev were added to the E.O. 14024 sanctions list. [58]
On March 3, the United States imposed a mixed set of sanctions on the Russian elite:
In early March 2022, President Biden signed additional Executive Orders dealing with the emergency in Ukraine. Executive Order 14066 of March 8, 2022 prohibited U.S. importation of fossil fuels from the Russian Federation and any new U.S. investment into the Russian energy sector. [64] Executive Order 14068 of March 11, 2022 prohibited U.S. importation of fish, seafood, alcoholic beverages, and non-industrial diamonds from Russia and prohibits U.S. export of luxury goods to the Russian Federation. [65]
On March 11, 2022, OFAC added twenty-six Russians to the E.O. 14024 list. Twelve were members of the Putin government including Yury Afonin, Leonid Kalashnikov, Vladimir Kashin, Ivan Melnikov, Dmitry Novikov, Vyacheslav Volodin, Gennady Zyuganov. Ten were persons connected to VTB Bank, most notably including Olga Dergunova, a Deputy President. Relatives of Dmitry Peskov were added, including his son Nikolay Peskov (a former correspondent for RT) and daughter Elizaveta Peskova, assistant to far-right Aymeric Chauprade, a French Member of the European Parliament. [66] [67] The oligarch Viktor Vekselberg, previously sanctioned in 2018, was re-designated along with his superyacht and Airbus A319-115 jet. [68]
The same round of sanctions also added Dmitry Pantus, Chairman of the State Military-Industrial Committee in the Government of Belarus. [68]
On March 15, 2022, the Department of State designated eleven persons as those "who operate or have operated in the defense and related materiel sector of the Russian Federation economy" including Army general Dmitry Bulgakov and seven fellow Deputies in the Ministry of Defence; Army general Viktor Zolotov, Director of the National Guard of Russia and member of the Security Council of Russia; Dmitry Shugaev the head of Federal Service of Military-Technical Cooperation; and Aleksandr Mikheyev, Director of Rosoboronexport. [69] The same day, the U.S. also renewed sanctions against Belarusian president Alexander Lukashenko. It was announced that all property and interests in property owned by the Belarusian President or his wife was now blocked in the country. [70]
On March 24, 2022, OFAC made its largest expansion of the E.O. 14024 list sanctions by number of entities by sanctioning 324 individual deputies of the State Duma as well as the State Duma itself. [71] [72] Added under separate notice were Herman Gref of Sberbank; Tactical Missiles Corporation, its subsidiaries and its General Director; as well as the Russian Helicopters and its subsidiaries, as well as other divisions of Rostec. [73] The same day the State Department published its own additions to the E.O. 14024 list: seventeen persons connected to Sovcombank; billionaire Gennady Timchenko, his companies Volga Group and Transoil. Timchenko's wife, children, business partner and spouse of his business partner were also named. The State Department also named Timchenko's yacht, the Lena as blocked property. [74] [75]
On March 31, 2022, OFAC publicized the existence of a "procurement network engaged in proliferation activities" operating at the direction of Russian intelligence services. The Office claims that the network of companies, including entities based in Russia, United Kingdom, Japan, Singapore and Spain was created to procure Western technologies while disguising that the end user was, in fact, the military and intelligence services of the Russian Federation. The companies and their principals were named and sanctioned. [76] [77]
Following the retreat of Russian forces the city of Bucha, Kyiv Oblast, witnesses began sharing evidence of atrocities committed during the occupation. Footage showed civilians dead with their hands bound. Other footage showed a dead man next to a bicycle. [78] Journalists entering the city themselves discovered the bodies of more than a dozen people in civilian clothes. [79] CNN, [80] the BBC, [81] and AFP [82] released video documentation of numerous dead bodies of civilians in the streets and yards in Bucha, some of them with tied arms or legs. BBC News said of the 20 bodies on the street, some had been shot in the temple and some bodies had been run over by a tank. [83] On 2 April, an AFP reporter stated he had seen at least twenty bodies of male civilians lying in the streets of Bucha, with two of the bodies having tied hands. [84] [85]
As evidence mounted, US President Joe Biden called for Putin to be tried for war crimes and stated that he supported additional sanctions on Russia. [86] [87] On April 6, a Senior Biden administration official announced that "the sickening brutality in Bucha has made tragically clear the despicable nature of the Putin regime. And today, in alignment with G7 allies and partners, we’re intensifying the most severe sanctions ever levied on a major economy." [88]
President Biden signed Executive Order 14071 of April 6, 2022, "Prohibiting New Investment in and Certain Services to the Russian Federation in Response to Continued Russian Federation Aggression," prohibiting all U.S. persons' investment or in the Russian Federation. Additionally, E.O. 14071 allows the Secretary of the Treasury to determine "any category of services" to be illegal to export by any United States person to any person of the Russian Federation. [89] [90]
The European Union and Canada decided on February 27, 2022, to ban Russian airlines from using their airspace. [91] In the March 1, 2022 State of the Union Address, American President Joe Biden announced that the United States "will join our allies in closing off American air space to all Russian flights – further isolating Russia – and adding an additional squeeze –on their economy." [92]
The ban went into effect at March 2, 2022, 9:00 am Eastern Standard Time (UTC−05:00). [93] The Federal Aviation Administration's official notice was sent as a NOTAM entitled "Special Security Instructions (SSI) Prohibition on Russian Flight Operations in the Territorial Airspace of the U.S." A prohibition against operating to, from, within, or through U.S. territorial airspace was applied to the following:
Narrow exceptions were allowed for aircraft "engaged in humanitarian or search and rescue operations specifically authorized by the FAA, state aircraft operations granted a diplomatic clearance by the United States Department of State, and aircraft experiencing in-flight emergencies." [94] [95]
In comment accompanying the order United States Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg said, “The United States stands with our allies and partners across the world in responding to Putin’s unprovoked aggression against the people of Ukraine.” [96]
The main United States sanctions law, IEEPA, blocks the designated person or entity's assets, and also prohibits any United States person from transacting business with the designated person or entity. Specifically, 50 U.S.C. § 1705 criminalizes activities that "violate, attempt to violate, conspire to violate, or cause a violation of any license, order, regulation, or prohibition," and allows for fines up to $1,000,000, imprisonment up to 20 years, or both. Additionally, United States asset forfeiture laws allow for the seizure of assets considered to be the proceeds of criminal activity.
On 3 February 2022, John "Jack" Hanick was arrested in London for violating sanctions against Konstantin Valeryevich Malofeev , owner of Tsargrad TV. Malofeev is targeted for sanctions by the European Union and United States for material and financial support to Donbass separatists. [97] [98] [99] [100] [101] [102] [a] Hanick was the first person criminally indicted for violating United States sanctions during the War in Ukraine. [104]
According to court records, Hanick has been under sealed indictment in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York since November 2021. The indictment was unsealed March 3, 2022. Hanick awaits extradition from the United Kingdom to the United States. [105] [106]
In the March 1, 2022 State of the Union Address, American President Joe Biden announced an effort to target the wealth of Russian oligarchs.
Tonight, I say to the Russian oligarchs and the corrupt leaders who’ve bilked billions of dollars off this violent regime: No more.
The United States — I mean it. The United States Department of Justice is assembling a dedicated task force to go after the crimes of the Russian oligarchs.
We’re joining with European Allies to find and seize their yachts, their luxury apartments, their private jets. We’re coming for your ill-begotten gains. [107]
On March 2, 2022, U.S. Attorney General Merrick B. Garland announced the formation of Task Force KleptoCapture, an inter-agency effort. The main goal of the task force is to impose the sanctions set against Russian oligarchs to freeze and seize the assets that the U.S. government claimed were proceeds of their illegal involvement with the Russian government and the invasion of Ukraine. [108] [109] [110] [111]
On March 11, 2022, United States President Joseph R. Biden signed Executive Order 14068, "Prohibiting Certain Imports, Exports, and New Investment With Respect to Continued Russian Federation Aggression," an order of economic sanctions under the United States International Emergency Economic Powers Act against several oligarchs. The order specifically targeted two properties of Viktor Vekselberg worth an estimated $180 million: an Airbus A319-115 jet and the motoryacht Tango. [112] Estimates of the value of the Tango range from $90 million (U.S. Department of Justice estimate) to $120 million (from the website Superyachtfan.com).
On March 25, 2022, an FBI Special Agent filed an affidavit in support of seizure of the Tango with the United States District Court for the District of Columbia. The affidavit warrant states probable cause to seize the Tango for suspect violations of 18 U.S.C. § 1349 (conspiracy to commit bank fraud), 50 U.S.C. § 1705 (International Emergency Economic Powers Act), and 18 U.S.C. § 1956 (money laundering), and that the seizure is authorized by American statutes on civil and criminal asset forfeiture. [113] [114]
On April 4, 2022, Magistrate Judge Zia M. Faruqui signed an Order approving the seizure. Judge Faruqui concluded his order stating, "The seizure of the Target Property is just the beginning of the reckoning that awaits those who would facilitate Putin’s atrocities. Neither the Department of Justice, nor history, will be kind to the Oligarchs who chose the wrong side. […] The Department of Justice’s seizure echoes the message of the brave Ukrainian soldiers of Snake Island." [115]
The Civil Guard of Spain and U.S. federal agents of both the United States Department of Justice and United States Department of Homeland Security seized the Tango in Mallorca. A United States Department of Justice press release states that the seizure of the Tango was by request of Task Force KleptoCapture. [116] [117] [118]
On Friday, April 8, 2022, President Biden signed into law two bills from Congress aimed at isolating the Russian Federation:
US President Joe Biden issued a statement calling the Russian invasion "unprovoked and unreasonable", and accusing Russian President Vladimir Putin of waging a "premeditated war that will result in catastrophic loss of life and human suffering". [124]
On February 28, the United States announced plans to expel twelve Russian diplomats from the Permanent Mission of Russia to the United Nations. [125] [126] The United States Mission to the United Nations told the public,
The United States has informed the United Nations and the Russian Permanent Mission to the United Nations that we are beginning the process of expelling twelve intelligence operatives from the Russian Mission who have abused their privileges of residency in the United States by engaging in espionage activities that are adverse to our national security. We are taking this action in accordance with the UN Headquarters Agreement. This action has been in development for several months.
— Spokesperson Olivia Dalton, Statement on the Decision to Initiate the Expulsion of Russian Diplomats in New York, U.S. Mission to the United Nations
Biden called Putin "a war criminal" in response to reporters' questions on March 16. [127] [128]
Biden additionally condemned Russian oligarchs who had supported Putin, stating that "We are joining with our European allies to find and seize your yachts, your luxury apartments, your private jets. We are coming for your ill-begotten gains." [129] The Biden administration also condemned Putin's decision to place Russia's nuclear deterrence forces on high alert. [130]
In a speech on March 26, Biden declared in a speech that Putin "cannot remain in power". However, the White House later released a statement saying that Biden's "point was that Putin cannot be allowed to exercise power over his neighbors or the region. He was not discussing Putin's power in Russia, or regime change". In response to Biden's statement, the Kremlin stated that whether or not Putin remained in power was the choice of the Russian people. [131] [132]
In a phone call with Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Biden called Russia's military activities “unprovoked and unjustified.” [133]
On April 7, 2022, Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield appeared before the United Nations General Assembly to join Ukraine in calling for the removal of the Russian Federation from the United Nations Human Rights Council in response to the Bucha massacre. [134]
Joe Biden made his first visit to Kyiv since the start of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, on 20 February 2023. [135] [136] Only two journalists followed him, having been sworn to secrecy three days previous due to security concerns, and his travel arrangements had not been made public even just before his arrival. [137] Biden's visit received a mixed reaction. [138] [139] [140]
According to a leaked classified Pakistani cable, at a March 7, 2022 meeting, the U.S. State Department encouraged the Pakistani government to remove Prime Minister Imran Khan from office because of his neutrality on the Russian invasion of Ukraine. [141]
In May 2023, 46% of respondents agreed that the US should arm Ukraine, while 29% disagreed. In a poll conducted by Reuters and Ipsos and published on October 5, 41 percent of respondents said Washington should arm Ukraine, while 35 percent disagreed. [142]
A poll conducted by the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation & Institute in June 2024 showed that 57% of respondents supported sending military aid to Ukraine, while 32% opposed it. 75% of respondents also agreed that it is important to the United States that Ukraine wins the war, while 17% considered it unimportant. [143] [144]
In a survey of 9,424 adults conducted by the Pew Research Center between July 1–7, 2024, 54% of respondents approved continuing to provide military aid to Ukraine, while 31% disapproved; 54% of respondents also approved allowing Ukraine to use US-made weapons to strike targets inside Russian territory (29% did not approve). 48% of respondents agreed that the United States has a responsibility to defend Ukraine (49% disagreed). [145]
In a poll of 1,565 Americans conducted by YouGov between August 17–20, 2024, 25% of respondents said the United States should increase military support of Ukraine, while 27% believed it should be maintained at the current level. 28% expressed support for decreasing it. [146]
Russian oligarchs are business oligarchs of the former Soviet republics who rapidly accumulated wealth in the 1990s via the Russian privatisation that followed the dissolution of the Soviet Union. The failing Soviet state left the ownership of state assets contested, which allowed for informal deals with former USSR officials as a means to acquire state property.
Nikolai Platonovich Patrushev is a Russian politician, security officer and former intelligence officer who served as the secretary of the Security Council of Russia from 2008 to 2024. He previously served as the director of the Federal Security Service (FSB) from 1999 to 2008. Belonging to the siloviki faction of president Vladimir Putin's inner circle, Patrushev is believed to be one of the closest advisors to Putin and a leading figure behind Russia's national security affairs. He played a key role in the decisions to seize and then annex Crimea in 2014 and to invade Ukraine in 2022.
Dmitry Sergeyevich Peskov is a Russian diplomat and the press secretary for Russian president Vladimir Putin.
There are currently no diplomatic or bilateral relations between Russia and Ukraine. The two states have been at war since Russia invaded the Crimean peninsula in February 2014, and Russian-controlled armed groups seized Donbas government buildings in May 2014. Following the Ukrainian Euromaidan in 2014, Ukraine's Crimean peninsula was occupied by unmarked Russian forces, and later illegally annexed by Russia, while pro-Russia separatists simultaneously engaged the Ukrainian military in an armed conflict for control over eastern Ukraine; these events marked the beginning of the Russo-Ukrainian War. In a major escalation of the conflict on 24 February 2022, Russia launched a large scale military invasion across a broad front, causing Ukraine to sever all formal diplomatic ties with Russia.
The Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons List, also known as the SDN List, is a United States government sanctions/embargo measure targeting U.S.-designated terrorists, officials and beneficiaries of certain authoritarian regimes, and international criminals. The list is managed by the U.S. Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC). When individuals are added to the list of Specially Designated Nationals (SDN), their U.S. assets are blocked. Moreover, their names are added to automated screening systems used by banks in the United States and many foreign countries, making it difficult for them to open or hold accounts, transfer money, or transact properties internationally. Any individual or entity that provides support related to terrorism, drug trafficking or unauthorized military use to any person or entity appearing on the SDN list risks being penalized under the USA PATRIOT Act.
International sanctions have been imposed against Russia and Crimea during the Russo-Ukrainian War by a large number of countries, including the United States, Canada, the European Union, and international organisations following the Russian annexation of Crimea, which began in late February 2014. Belarus has also been sanctioned for its cooperation with and assistance to Russian armed forces. The sanctions were imposed against individuals, businesses, and officials from Russia and Ukraine. Russia responded with sanctions against several countries, including a total ban on food imports from Australia, Canada, Norway, Japan, the United States, the EU and the United Kingdom.
The Countering America's Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA) is a United States federal law that imposed sanctions on Iran, North Korea, and Russia. The bill was passed by the Senate on July 27, 2017, 98–2, after it passed the House 419–3. It was signed into law on August 2, 2017, by President Donald Trump, who nevertheless believed that the legislation was "seriously flawed".
The United States government applies economic sanctions against certain institutions and key members of the Chinese government and its ruling Chinese Communist Party (CCP), certain companies linked to the People's Liberation Army (PLA), and other affiliates that the U.S. government has accused of aiding in human rights abuses. The U.S. maintained embargoes against China from the inception of the People's Republic of China in 1949 until 1972. An embargo was reimposed by the U.S. following the 1989 Tiananmen Square protests and massacre. From 2020 onward, the U.S. imposed sanctions and visa restrictions against several Chinese government officials and companies, in response to the persecution of Uyghurs in China, human rights abuses in Hong Kong and Tibet, military-civil fusion, support for the Russian invasion of Ukraine, and fentanyl production.
Events in the year 2021 in Ukraine.
In March and April 2021, prior to the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, the Russian Armed Forces began massing thousands of personnel and military equipment near Russia's border with Ukraine and in Crimea, representing the largest mobilisation since the illegal annexation of Crimea in 2014. This precipitated an international crisis due to concerns over a potential invasion. Satellite imagery showed movements of armour, missiles, and heavy weaponry towards the border. The troops were partially withdrawn by June 2021, though the infrastructure was left in place. A second build-up began in October 2021, this time with more soldiers and with deployments on new fronts; by December over 100,000 Russian troops were massed around Ukraine on three sides, including Belarus from the north and Crimea from the south. Despite the Russian military build-ups, Russian officials from November 2021 to 20 February 2022 repeatedly denied that Russia had plans to invade Ukraine.
Many states, international organizations, and civil society actors worldwide had expressed their reactions to the then-escalating crisis between Russia and Ukraine that started in March 2021. The crisis eventually culminated in a Russian invasion of Ukraine, beginning on 24 February 2022.
The following is a list of events from the year 2022 in Ukraine.
The Russian invasion of Ukraine received widespread international condemnation, leading to new sanctions being imposed on Russia, which triggered a Russian financial crisis. Reactions among governments have most often been negative, with criticism and condemnation, particularly in Europe, the Americas, and Southeast Asia.
Task Force KleptoCapture is a United States Department of Justice unit established in March 2022 with the goal of enforcing sanctions on Russian oligarchs in response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Following the full declaration of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, which started on 24 February 2022, institutions such as the United States, the European Union, and other Western countries introduced or significantly expanded sanctions covering Russian President Vladimir Putin, other government members and Russian citizens in general. Some Russian banks were banned from using the SWIFT international payments system. The sanctions and the boycotts of Russia and Belarus have impacted the Russian economy in various ways. However, sanctions and rising unemployment have contribute to Russian authorities as strategic advantages to boost localization and state conscription, increasing geopolitical fragmentation between third world and western nations enables Russia to exploit global trade networks to secure essential goods.
After the Russian invasion of Ukraine, China stated that it respects Ukraine's sovereignty but Russia's concerns about enlargement of NATO should also be addressed. It abstained from United Nations votes that condemned the invasion. The Chinese government has attempted to mediate between the two countries, but its proposals have faced criticism. Although China objected to international sanctions against Russia, Chinese companies have largely complied with them. Drones made by Chinese manufacturers are used by both sides in the conflict. Exports of dual-use technology and component parts from China to Russia have drawn sanctions from the U.S. and condemnation from NATO and the European Union. Chinese state media outlets and netizens often gave more weight to Russian state views, sometimes reposting disinformation.
The Bucha massacre was the mass murder of Ukrainian civilians and prisoners of war by the Russian Armed Forces during the fight for and occupation of the city of Bucha as part of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Photographic and video evidence of the massacre emerged on 1 April 2022 after Russian forces withdrew from the city.
Azatbek Asanbekovich Omurbekov is a Russian colonel who commanded the 64th Separate Motor Rifle Brigade of the Russian Ground Forces during its deployment in Ukraine, during which the unit allegedly committed war crimes in the town of Bucha. He has been referred to in some media and by the European Union as the "Butcher of Bucha".
During the Russo-Ukrainian War, national parliaments including those of Poland, Ukraine, Canada, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Ireland declared that genocide was taking place. Scholars and commentators including Eugene Finkel, Timothy D. Snyder and Gregory Stanton; and legal experts such as Otto Luchterhandt and Zakhar Tropin, have made claims of varying degrees of certainty that Russia is committing genocide in Ukraine. A comprehensive report by the Raoul Wallenberg Centre for Human Rights concluded that there exists a "very serious risk of genocide" in the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
This timeline of the prelude to the Russian invasion of Ukraine covers a period of heightened tensions between Russia and Ukraine from early 2021 until the start of the Russian invasion of Ukraine on 24 February 2022.
Numerous sources indicated Russian troops' movements in various parts of Russia, in Belarus and in occupied Crimea. As a part of these movements, the Russian Eastern Military District's forces continued to enter Belarus ... the Russian forces already inside or moving into Belarus include those from: the 36th Army's ... the 29th Army's ... the 35th Army's ... the 5th Army's ... the Pacific Fleet's 155th Naval Infantry Brigade ... the 76th Air Assault Division's ... the 98th Airborne Division's ... the 11th Air Assault Brigade ...
Ukrainian officials have warned that Russia could launch an attack on Ukraine from various directions, including from its ally Belarus.
A senior Biden administration official said the Russian troop deployment to Belarus raises concerns that Moscow may be planning to stage troops there to stretch Ukraine's defenses with an attack from the north.
President Biden said on Wednesday that he now expected President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia would order an invasion of Ukraine, delivering a grim assessment that the diplomacy and ... 'The answer is that I think he still does not want a full-blown war, No. 1. No. 2, do I think he'll test the West, test the United States and NATO as significantly as he can? Yes, I think he will, but I think he'll pay a serious and dear price for it that he doesn't think now will cost him what it's going to cost him. And I think he will regret having done it.'