Iran Press/ America: Relations between the West and Russia have been strained since 2014 on the four pillars of NATO's military influence, especially the United States near Russia and Eastern Europe, the Ukraine crisis, the Baltic Sea, and the crisis in Syria.
The United States and the European Union have imposed a series of economic and financial sanctions against Russia since 2014, prompting a backlash from Moscow.
Meantime, Russia's decision to recognize two breakaway regions in eastern Ukraine as independent and order its army to launch a “peacekeeping operation” into the area has accelerated the crisis.
Emphasizing that "Russian President Vladimir Putin’s action contradicts Russia’s commitments under the Minsk agreements, the White House said in a statement that US President Joe Biden will soon move to prohibit US investment and trade with the self-declared republics of Donetsk and Luhansk in eastern Ukraine.
Related news:
Putin recognizes Donetsk and Luhansk as independent states
The order also provides authority to impose sanctions on any person determined to operate in those areas of Ukraine, which both lie along the country’s border with Russia.
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