|

Western nations moving swiftly to sanction Russia as cold war warms-up

Russian President Vladimir Putin delivered a threatening speech in the New York session which has weighed on risk and encouraged a swift response from the West with harsh new sanctions being implemented. 

Putin has signed a separatist recognition decree over eastern Ukraine regions and the decrees on recognizing the Donetsk and Luhansk People’s Republics also ordered the Russian armed forces to go into separatist territory on peacekeeping missions. 

This has sparked retaliation from the US, UK, EU and UN and the Twitter feeds are quoting some key figures on the international stage in this regard:

  • UN chief Guterres considers Russia's eastern Ukraine recognition a 'violation of territorial integrity, sovereignty of Ukraine, inconsistent with UN charter.
  • UK govt says sanctions expected to go further if invasion happens, so they won’t go as far as full package prepared, The Guardian.
  • UK govt confirms it will be announcing Russia sanctions tomorrow in response to Putin's declaration, The Guardian.
  • White House official says Biden has started the call with France's Macron and Germany's Scholz.
  • German government spokesman: Chancellor Scholz agreed with macron and Biden that Putin's decision won't go unanswered.

Update

Reuters recently came out with the news conveying that Russia has right to build and establish military bases in eastern Ukraine under new agreement with separatist leaders.

The news escalates the fears of a military invasion by Russia and weigh on the risk appetite, which in turn drag Antipodeans and propel the rush to risk-safety.

Author

Ross J Burland

Ross J Burland, born in England, UK, is a sportsman at heart. He played Rugby and Judo for his county, Kent and the South East of England Rugby team.

More from Ross J Burland
Share:

Editor's Picks

AUD/USD stuck as the RBA talks tough into a slowdown

The Australian Dollar is going nowhere in a hurry, and the contradiction at its core explains why. The Reserve Bank of Australia keeps dangling the prospect of another hike, yet the economy it governs just expanded 0.3% in the first quarter, a clear step down from the prior pace. A central bank threatening to tighten into a visible slowdown is not a recipe for conviction in either direction, and the tape shows it.

USD/JPY: Japanese Yen coiled at the line, leaning on everyone but Japan

The Yen is doing very little, and that stasis is the whole story. USD/JPY sits glued near 160.00 not because Japan has found new strength, but because two outside forces are fighting to a draw over it: a US rate complex that keeps the dollar bid, and a Ministry of Finance that refuses to let the line break.

Gold declines below $4,500 on stalled US-Iran ceasefire talks, US NFP data looms

Gold price edges lower to near $4,470 during the early Asian session on Friday. The precious metal remains volatile amid ongoing geopolitical turmoil. Traders will closely monitor the developments surrounding the US-Iran peace deal and the US May employment report later on Friday. 


Bitcoin falls below $64K as demand turns negative, short-term holders' selling intensifies

Bitcoin has fallen below $64,000 on Thursday amid weakening market demand and mounting selling pressure from short-term holders. The leading cryptocurrency slipped toward the $63,000 level amid a broader risk-off environment, with several key metrics signaling one of the most challenging periods of the current market cycle.

Nonfarm payrolls: Testing the limits of Fed policy patience

The upcoming nonfarm payrolls report for May will provide the final update on the US labor market before Kevin Warsh attends his first policy meeting as the new Fed Chair later this month.

Recession on paper: What really moves the Canadian Loonie now?

Statistics Canada handed the headline writers a gift and the analysts a headache. Real GDP shrank 0.1% on an annualized basis in the first quarter, and with the fourth quarter of 2025 revised down to a 1.0% contraction, that is two negative quarters in a row, the textbook definition of a technical recession and Canada's first since the pandemic.