10 things you need to know today: February 23, 2022

Biden imposes sanctions and calls Russian moves an 'invasion' of Ukraine, three convicted of hate crime in Arbery murder, and more

Joe Biden
(Image credit: Drew Angerer/Getty Images)

1. Biden imposes sanctions against Russia for Ukraine 'invasion'

President Biden on Tuesday announced sanctions against Russia over what he described as "the beginning of a Russian invasion of Ukraine." European allies also hit Russia with sanctions, and Germany halted approval of the Nord Stream 2 natural gas pipeline from Russia, over Russian President Vladimir Putin's decision to send "peacekeepers" into two "independent" eastern Ukraine enclaves controlled by Russian-backed separatists. Biden called Putin's action "a flagrant violation of international law" and said the U.S. is responding with the "full blocking" of two large Russian financial institutions, along with sanctions on Russian debt. Critics said the measures fell far short of the full-scale economic warfare many Ukraine supporters want.

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Harold Maass, The Week US

Harold Maass is a contributing editor at The Week. He has been writing for The Week since the 2001 debut of the U.S. print edition and served as editor of TheWeek.com when it launched in 2008. Harold started his career as a newspaper reporter in South Florida and Haiti. He has previously worked for a variety of news outlets, including The Miami Herald, ABC News and Fox News, and for several years wrote a daily roundup of financial news for The Week and Yahoo Finance.