WASHINGTON (AP) — The United States and its allies hit back at Russia’s annexation of four Ukrainian regions on Friday, slapping sanctions on more than 1,000 people and companies including arms supply networks, as Moscow and the West escalated an already heated conflict fraught with potential nuclear implications.
U.S. officials said they would support any effort by Ukraine to retake the annexed territories by force, setting the stage for further hostilities. And Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced that his country would make an “accelerated” bid to join NATO, a plan not endorsed by the U.S. or other allies that could add fuel to the fire.
Russian President Vladimir Putin’s announcement that Russia is incorporating four Ukrainian cities and areas was not unexpected following referendums this week that the West had denounced as shams. And the U.S. and Western allies had previewed what their reaction would be.
But the developments dramatically increased tensions to a point not seen since the Cuban Missile Crisis 60 years ago during the Cold War.
“Make no mistake: These actions have no legitimacy,” President Joe Biden said in a statement shortly after Putin’s vow to defend the newly annexed portions of Ukraine as if they were Russia’s sovereign territory. Biden had spoken out against the annexation plans last week at the U.N. General Assembly, where a vast majority of other members also voiced support for respecting the territorial integrity of all nations.