Russia Sends Troops To Two Separate Territories, U.S. Officials Value Non-Invasion As Of 2014

Russian military illustration. (Source: Russian Ministry of Defense/Dmitry Shutov)

JAKARTA - Russian President Vladimir Putin's decision to send troops he calls peacekeepers into breakaway Ukraine does not constitute a further invasion that would trigger a wider sanctions package, an official with President Joe Biden's administration told Reuters.

Still, the White House believes a full-blown invasion could occur at any time. The United States will continue diplomacy with Russia until the "tank launches," another official told reporters.

The Russian president's recognition of the two territories, Donetsk and Lugansk breaking away as independent territories and his order to send troops, raises the stakes with the West over Ukraine.

The White House announced after President Putin's announcement it would ban US investment in the breakaway areas, with officials speaking to reporters saying additional measures would be announced on Tuesday.

But the steps are separate from the broader package of sanctions Washington has promised to implement with its allies if Russia invades Ukraine.

The first administration official told Reuters sending Russian troops into the separatist territory was not a departure from what Russia had been doing, which is why it did not trigger wider sanctions.

"This is not a further invasion because that is territory they have occupied," the official said.

Signing of the recognition of the Republic of Donetsk and Lugansk in the Kremlin by President Putin. (Source Kremlin.ru)

The official who spoke to reporters on a conference call said sending Russian troops to the Donbas region in eastern Ukraine was nothing new.

"Russian troops moving to the Donbas itself would not be a new step. Russia has had troops in the Donbas region for the last eight years. They are currently making the decision to do this in a more open and overt manner," he said.

The US and Western countries are concerned that Moscow is planning a new offensive in Ukraine, after sending troops to the former Soviet Union in 2014 to annex the Crimean Peninsula.

The United States will continue to have diplomatic talks until or unless an invasion occurs, the official said.

"Russia continues to escalate the crisis it created in the first place. We will continue to pursue diplomacy until the tanks launch, but we have no illusions about what might happen next."

Russian President Vladimir Putin recognized the two breakaway regions of eastern Ukraine as independent on Monday, ordering the Russian army to launch what Moscow calls a peacekeeping operation into the region, accelerating a crisis the West fears could spark a major war.

Responding to this recognition, the President of the United States to the Secretary-General of NATO Jens Stoltenberg regretted Russia's move, saying it would spark another conflict in the region, and said he would prepare separate new sanctions.

President Biden issued an executive order on Monday that White House spokeswoman Jen Psaki said would "prohibit new investment, trade, and financing by U.S. persons into, from, or in the so-called DNR (Donetsk People's Republic) and LNR (Donetsk People's Republic) regions. People's Republic of Lugansk) Ukraine."

The order "will also give the authority to impose sanctions on anyone determined to operate on Ukrainian territory," Psaki said.

"To be clear: these steps are separate from and will be in addition to the rapid and heavy economic measures that we have prepared in coordination with the Allies and partners should Russia invade Ukraine further," she said.

Government officials doubt whether President Biden, who agreed in principle to meet with Putin if Russia does not invade Ukraine, will proceed with the move given Moscow's actions.