The U.K. launched what it described as a first round of sanctions against Russian entities, while the European Union and the U.S. made plans to roll out their own measures later Tuesday—as all three capitals moved to collectively punish Moscow for sending troops into two breakaway provinces of Ukraine.
The restrictions announced so far, and expected in coming hours, fall short of many of the broader measures that officials said were being weighed should Russia outright invade its neighbor. But officials said Tuesday’s moves could be ratcheted up depending on whether Russian President Vladimir Putin escalates still further.
The White House said the U.S. would hold Russia accountable for its actions in Ukraine. “An invasion is an invasion, and that is what is under way,” White House Principal Deputy Security Adviser Jonathan Finer said on CNN Tuesday morning.
But a senior U.S. administration official said that U.S. sanctions—expected to be announced later Tuesday—would be calibrated to what the Kremlin chose to do in the coming days. There have been Russian forces present previously in the areas that Moscow’s troops poured into late Monday, this official said: “And so we’re going to be looking very closely at what they do over the coming hours and days, and our response will be measured according, again, to their actions.”
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