White House to announce further sanctions Tuesday in response to Putin’s actions

The White House will announce additional sanctions on Tuesday in response to Russian President Vladimir Putin’s recognition of separatist regions in eastern Ukraine, a senior administration official said.

“We will take further measures tomorrow to hold Russia accountable for this clear violation of international law and Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity as well as Russia’s own international commitments,” the official said.

The official did not offer any details out what steps the administration would take, but said the penalties would not be the “swift and severe” sanctions President Biden has been threatening for weeks.

“We will observe and assess what actions Russia actually takes and respond accordingly,” the official said about imposing stronger sanctions.

The announcement came just before Mr.  Biden signed an executive order prohibiting U.S. individuals from investing in, trading with or financing activity in the two territories, which are controlled by Moscow-backed separatists.

Those penalties were imposed after Mr. Putin escalated tensions with the West by announcing that Russia would recognize the two territories’ independence.

The Russian-controlled separatists’ territories, which are located in Ukraine’s Donbass region, are the self-proclaimed People’s Republics of Donetsk and Luhansk.

Russian troops could move into the separatist regions within hours, the official said, adding that activity could come as soon as late Monday or early Tuesday. Still, the official declined to provide any confirmation of anecdotal reports from the area of Russian troops entering Ukraine.

“Our strong sense based on everything we are seeing on the ground in the areas around Ukraine to the north, to the east, to the south, is that Russia is continuing to prepare for military action that could take place in the coming hours or days.” the official said.

Despite the threat of additional sanctions looming, the official said the U.S. would pursue diplomacy “until the tanks roll.”