Russia-Ukraine updates: Biden announces new sanctions on Russia

Biden said there was "no justification" for Russia's actions in Ukraine.
President Joe Biden said the world is witnessing "the beginning of a Russian invasion of Ukraine" after weeks of escalating tensions in the region as he announced new economic sanctions on Russia Tuesday.

Biden's remarks followed a fiery address from Putin to the Russian public on Monday evening, when the Russian leader announced he was recognizing the independence of two Russia-backed separatist areas in eastern Ukraine's Donbas region: the self-proclaimed People’s Republics of Donetsk and Luhansk (DNR and LNR) -- prompting a set of sanctions from Western countries, including Germany halting approval of a major gas pipeline from Russia.

In response, Biden also issued a limited executive order on Monday banning "new investment, trade, and financing by U.S. persons to, from, or in the so-called DNR and LNR regions of Ukraine," which "will also provide authority to impose sanctions on any person determined to operate in those areas of Ukraine," said White House press secretary Jen Psaki.

While the U.S. says some 190,000 Russian troops and separatist forces are estimated to be massed near Ukraine's borders, Russia has denied any wrongdoing and reiterated its demands that the U.S. and NATO bar Ukraine from joining the military alliance.