President Joe Biden imposed harsh new sanctions against Russia on Thursday (Feb. 24) in response to its Vladimir Putin-led attack on Ukraine.

“Putin is the aggressor. Putin chose this war,” Biden said in a statement. “And now he and his country will bear the consequences.”

The POTUS added that the enacted sanctions will “impose [a] severe cost on the Russian economy, both immediately and over time.”

“No one expected the sanctions to prevent anything from happening. It’s going to take time,” he acknowledged. “We have to show resolve. He knows what is coming.”

According to CNN, the new sanctions include exports on technology that are critical to Russia’s military and aerospace advancement and target four Russian banks, as well as “corrupt billionaires” and their families. The sanctions also target Belarus for its role in Russia’s invasion.

On Thursday, Biden also deployed a new group of ground and air forces to NATO’s eastern flank, but reiterated that U.S. soldiers will not engage in direct conflict in Ukraine.

“Our forces are not and will not be engaged in the conflict,” he said. “Our forces are not going to Europe to fight in Ukraine, but [to] defend our NATO allies and reassure those allies in the east.”

Biden also commented on how the sanctions will affect U.S. energy prices and said he’ll do “everything in my power to limit the pain the American people are feeling at the gas pump.”

As reported by REVOLT, Russian forces seized control of Chernobyl on Thursday, the site of the worst nuclear accident in history. Explosions were reported throughout several Ukrainian cities throughout the morning and afternoon, with early accounts reporting at least 40 people dead.

Russian helicopters also attacked and seized control of the Antonov International Airport, a military airport near the Ukrainian capital Kyiv; officials in the country confirmed.