“The U.S. and its allies are right to use their power and influence in other ways to try to protect Ukraine’s sovereignty and independence against a predatory neighbor,” writes The Times Editorial Board. (via latimesopinion)
Even as tens of thousands of Russian troops massed near Ukraine’s borders, it was always possible that Russian President Vladimir Putin might stop short of an invasion of that country.
Yet the president acknowledged that he was keeping in abeyance even more damaging penalties, such as imposing sanctions on additional, larger Russian banks and export controls that limits Russia’s ability to import technology, aircraft and automobile components, in hopes that Putin would be deterred from further aggression against Ukraine.Biden said that “we’ll continue to escalate sanctions if Russia escalates.
Some critics might ask why the U.S. should not impose the most severe sanctions now given the Russia’s behavior so far, including the annexation of Crimea from Ukraine in 2014.There is no guarantee the threat of even more severe penalties will deter Russia from further aggression, including an attack on the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv. But Putin has been put on notice that Russia will pay an even greater economic price if it escalates its aggression.