Will US sanctions help deter aggression?

Vladyslav Faraponov

political expert, head of the Board of the “Institute of American Studies”, “Internews Ukraine” analyst

Besides the prompt response in the form of a presidential decree on sanctions against the so-called "LPR/DPR," the White House administration announced several additional measures in response to Moscow's recognition of these "republics." Biden's team remains an active player in the crisis inspired by Russia, so it continues to impose sanctions. But is this enough to deter aggression? And could Ukraine count on more than the announced two rounds of sanctions?

The White House administration was quick to respond to the recognition of the so-called republics. They issued a decree banning any investment in Russian-occupied regions in Donbas, and imposing restrictions on imports and exports of goods from there. In addition, there are personal sanctions against those who would be involved. But in reality, we hardly could expect that businesses from all over the world would be eager to invest in the region now, especially given that it is an occupied part of Donbas.

Therefore, these measures are a normal reaction given the operational and limited timeline. However, the decree allows, for example, to send aid from international organizations to these regions, so humanitarian issues will not be forgotten if necessary. But this is still not enough, even if we talk about the second day since Putin's address.