| President Biden on Tuesday said a coordinated package of sanctions levied by the United States and its allies against Russia and ramped up with each Kremlin move will punish Russian President Vladimir Putin and his wealthy associates as force is used against Ukraine. Today in a video statement, Putin reacted, saying Russia is open to “direct and honest dialogue” and “diplomatic solutions” (Bloomberg News). At the same time, the Ukraine security council approved plans for a state of national emergency and the government urged Ukrainian citizens to leave Russia “immediately,” reported AFP. On Tuesday — a day after Putin declared the “independence” of two separatist regions in eastern Ukraine and began to breach international law with parliamentary backing and the mobilization of Russian forces into the territory — the United States and NATO partners declared the “beginning of a Russian invasion of Ukraine.” The West’s use of the word “invasion” launched a fresh series of coordinated sanctions, including a halt to the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline between Germany and Russia and an effort to wall Russia off from key banking and business financing available in the West. Because Putin’s power is so entwined with the Russian oligarchy, the United States is sanctioning some wealthy “elites” and their families by name to squeeze their business dealings and lifestyles. So far, Putin has been willing to discuss Moscow’s position with world leaders but has not veered from a strategy of nationalistic reclamation that he has clearly plotted over years, perhaps decades. On Tuesday, he demanded Ukraine recognize Russia’s claims to Crimea and relinquish its advanced weapons (The New York Times). The Washington Post: How U.S. sanctions against Russia work. “An invasion is an invasion, and that is what is underway,” deputy U.S. national security adviser and former journalist Jonathan Finer told CNN early Tuesday (The Associated Press). Biden in a nine-minute East Room speech during which he took no questions, made clear that Tuesday’s sanctions were a beginning, not the end. Punishments will tighten with each new, aggressive Moscow move, the president suggested. “We still believe Russia is poised to go much further in launching a massive military attack against Ukraine” (The Hill). The Associated Press: Biden, Putin signal bigger confrontation ahead. USA Today: Transcript of Biden’s remarks. The president left open a path for diplomacy but signaled to Americans that Putin’s brazen gambit to try to redraw sovereign boundaries to reclaim a bygone Soviet era is unlikely to be resolved soon or with a pen. The Hill: Secretary of State Antony Blinken canceled a Thursday meeting with his Russian counterpart, which he said last week was contingent on Moscow not invading Ukraine. Biden, who delivers the first State of the Union address of his presidency next week, made no public promises that war in Europe can be prevented or that American consumers will be left unscathed, especially with energy prices. Biden emphasized that Putin “directly attacked Ukraine’s right to exist” and “explicitly threatened war.” There is “no question Russia is the aggressor,” he added, noting that the United States will soon reposition military forces already deployed in Europe to back NATO and provide additional defensive assistance to the Baltic States and help Ukraine, which is not a NATO member. Reuters: European Union adopted a first round of sanctions. CNN and Reuters: Germany made a significant announcement on Tuesday under Chancellor Olaf Scholz to halt the certification of the gas pipeline Nord Stream 2. CNN: British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, addressing the U.K. Parliament, announced a “first tranche” of sanctions against Russia. The Hill: Japan said it is ready to sanction Russia. 
© Associated Press/Sergei Grits On Tuesday, former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, a Putin ally who is now deputy chairman of the country’s Security Council, predicted that gas prices will likely double after Germany put the brakes, at least temporarily, on the Nord Stream 2 pipeline. “Welcome to the new world where Europeans will soon have to pay 2,000 euros per thousand cubic meters!" Medvedev tweeted in Russian. Biden later said he will work to “limit the pain” Americans shoulder from rising energy prices. Niall Stanage: The Memo: Five takeaways while the Ukraine crisis intensifies. The Hill: Germany's Nord Stream move adds to Europe's fuel price crunch. In Ukraine, President Volodymyr Zelensky addressed his countrymen, telling Ukrainians that the nation doesn’t “owe anything to anyone, and we will not give away anything to anyone” following the maneuvers by Russia. “We are on our land, we are not afraid of anything and anyone, we don't owe anything to anyone, and we will not give away anything to anyone. And we are confident of this,” Zelensky said in his video address, labeling the move as a violation of Ukraine’s “national integrity and sovereignty” (CNN). In the address, Zelensky also called up military reserves and urged them to fight for the homeland before it isn’t theirs anymore (The New York Times). Reuters: Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, during a Tuesday meeting with Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba, called on Putin to avert a full-blown "war of choice.” The Hill: Romania prepared to accept 500,000 Ukrainian refugees, official says. The Associated Press and The Hill: Stocks on Tuesday slid further amid the Ukraine crisis. Meanwhile, on Capitol Hill, lawmakers on Tuesday continued their push to provide aid to Ukraine. As NBC News notes, members of the House Intelligence Committee indicated they are crafting a bipartisan bill that would provide backing for pro-Ukraine independence fighters. Across the Capitol, Senate negotiators are working on an emergency funding bill that would bolster Ukraine and NATO. Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) also requested an all-members briefing on the subject. Both congressional chambers are out of town until Monday, one day before Biden is set to deliver his first State of the Union address (NBC News). The New York Times: Once a foreign policy partner, Congress struggles for unity when it comes to events in Ukraine. 
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