Biden vows ‘severe sanctions’ on Russia as Putin launches attack

Bloomberg

US President Joe Biden promised to impose “severe sanctions” against Russia for its invasion of Ukraine and he was expected to spell out the economic penalties in a public address on Thursday.
The question is how far he and allies will to go to punish President Vladimir Putin. The kind of measures could include cutting Russia’s top banks from the financial system and imposing sanctions on Putin himself. Kicking Russia out of Swift would be the most extreme step.
US officials have said all options are on the table.
Biden condemned the attack as “unprovoked and unjustified.” The president spoke
with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy by telephone and was expected to meet virtually with Group of Seven leaders to discuss a package of more far-reaching sanctions.
“President Putin has chosen a premeditated war that will bring a catastrophic loss of life and human suffering,” the American president said in a statement overnight. “The United States and its allies and partners will respond in a united and decisive way.” News of the invasion came as the UN Security Council was meeting in emergency session on the crisis. Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield said the council would vote on a resolution condemning Moscow’s actions on Thursday. As a permanent member of the Security Council, Russia can veto that resolution.
Biden said he would outline the punishments after discussing the unfolding crisis with other G-7 leaders in the morning. Administration officials on Wednesday night were still deciding what the next round of penalties would look like, according to a White House official.