U.S. President Joe Biden announced Tuesday evening the imposition of the first package of sanctions on Russia, emphasizing that they "will isolate Russia from the Western financial system." He also confirmed that the sanctions to be imposed by Washington will target the "Russian elites" as well.

Biden stated that "there is still time" for diplomatic efforts and "to avoid the worst-case scenario" in Ukraine, noting that he has given the green light to redeploy U.S. forces in the Baltic states.

Biden said, "This is the beginning of the Russian invasion of Ukraine," announcing that the United States will continue supplying Ukraine with "defensive" weapons.

Biden added in a speech to the nation from the White House: "I have given the green light to redeploy U.S. forces already in Europe to the Baltic states, Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania, to reinforce them."

He added: "We will impose broad sanctions on Russian sovereign debt. This means that we are cutting off the Russian government from Western financing."

In a related context, U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin announced that the United States condemns the "recent Russian invasion" of Ukraine but wants to keep the door open to diplomacy in order to "avoid the expansion of the conflict."

Austin said while receiving at the Pentagon Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba, that the "recent Russian invasion threatens peace, security, and prosperity in Ukraine and across the Atlantic," adding, "We will continue our close cooperation with you and remain in sync with our allies and partners in an attempt to find a way to avoid the expansion of the conflict."

The U.S. minister praised Ukraine's "measured response," which called for a peaceful resolution "in the face of Russia's aggression, provocations, and false accusations." He added that Russian President Vladimir Putin "still has the choice to avoid a disastrous war."

For his part, Kuleba, who visited Washington for meetings with senior U.S. officials about the crisis in his country, said his mission was diplomatic but its scope expanded to the defense aspect.

He said: "Diplomacy these days also means defense," at a time when Kyiv is seeking greater military support from the United States.

The Ukrainian minister added: "My message is simple: a strong Ukraine is the best way to deter Russia."

Russia Establishes Diplomatic Relations with the Separatist Regions

Russia announced that it has established diplomatic relations with the two separatist regions in eastern Ukraine.

The Russian Foreign Ministry said: "An agreement was made to establish diplomatic relations as of February 22 between the Russian Federation and the Donetsk People’s Republic as well as between the Russian Federation and the Lugansk People’s Republic at the embassy level."

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov sent congratulations to his counterparts in the republics," the ministry added in a statement.

The statement added: "The Russian side seeks comprehensive development of cooperation with the Donetsk People’s Republic and the Lugansk People’s Republic, including through foreign ministries, in the interest of our citizens and to enhance peace, stability, and regional security."

The European Union Ready to Take Further Measures Against Moscow

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said the European Union is ready to take further measures against Russia if Moscow continues to escalate its military activity in Ukraine.

This came shortly after EU foreign ministers agreed to sanction 27 individuals and Russian entities following Moscow’s recognition of two separatist regions in eastern Ukraine, in addition to banks and the defense sector, restricting Russia’s access to European capital markets.

Von der Leyen said during a press conference: "The action we took today is a response to Russia’s aggressive behavior."

She added: "If Russia continues to escalate this crisis it created, we are ready to take further actions in response," stressing the need for the European Union to be less dependent on Russia regarding gas.

Expected Activation of Cybersecurity Team to Support Kyiv

Lithuania announced on Tuesday that the European Union intends to activate its rapid response team for cyberattacks to help Ukraine face Russian attacks that Kyiv says are targeting it.

The Baltic country is working with other states "to activate the rapid response team for cyberattacks to help Ukrainian institutions deal with increasing cyber threats," according to a tweet by Lithuanian Deputy Defense Minister Margiris Abukevicius.

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said on Monday that Russia is using hybrid tactics "to escalate the situation," telling reporters in Brussels: "We see misinformation campaigns and witness cyberattacks. We clearly see false news spreading about Ukraine and we witness an increase in military activity."

Earlier in the week, Ukrainian cybersecurity agencies warned of an imminent occurrence of such attacks after some large attacks recently targeted Ukrainian government websites.

Kuleba called on the European Union to take decisions "that send clear messages to Russia, stating that its escalation will not be tolerated and that Ukraine will not be left alone."

He added: "This includes not only political messages and signals but also some very specific measures, such as supporting the development of our defense sector, supporting Ukraine’s cybersecurity, and imposing certain sanctions."

The European Union’s cybersecurity team was formed in 2019 and includes experts from Croatia, Estonia, Lithuania, Poland, and Romania.