WASHINGTON — As Russia continues its invasion of Ukraine, the Biden administration Wednesday added to its economic sanctions package targeting Moscow by allowing previously blocked sanctions to take effect against the company behind the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline, according to three individuals familiar with the matter.
Announcing the sanctions in a statement, Biden emphasized that the U.S. “will not hesitate to take further steps if Russia continues to escalate.”
Additional sanctions, following the initial package announced Tuesday, came amid unmistakable signals that Russian President Vladimir Putin is escalating his invasion of Ukraine. Putin on Monday formally recognized two separatist territories in Ukraine’s eastern Donbas region, Donetsk and Luhansk, as independent, and Russia’s upper house of Parliament on Tuesday approved the deployment of troops.
