Jen Psaki says only ‘de-escalation' will bring talks with Russia back on the table

White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki says only ‘de-escalation’ will bring talks with Russia back on the table.

Joe Biden today announced “full blocking sanctions” against Russia in response to actions in eastern Ukraine that he said amounted to a “flagrant violation of international law”.

He said this means Russia “can no longer raise money from the West and cannot trade in its new debt on our markets or European markets either.”

Sanctions will also be imposed on “Russian elites and their family members” from Wednesday, he also announced.